Govt committed to eliminating child exploitation: deputy minister

Cirebon (ANTARA) - The Indonesian government is committed to eliminating every form of child exploitation, including the practice of child labor, Deputy Minister of Manpower, Afriansyah Noor, has affirmed.

He made the statement while noting that Indonesia is still home to children who are forced to work due to economic pressures.

Speaking to reporters in Cirebon, West Java, on Tuesday, Noor underlined that the Indonesian government is seeking to implement the Child Labor-Free Indonesia Road Map Phase II launched by Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah on July 22, 2024.

He said that the road map will serve as a guideline to disseminate information on the prohibition of child employment in companies, industries, and the business sector.

To provide the finest protection to Indonesian children, he called upon all elements of society to play an active role in preventing all forms of violence against the country's future talents.

He then underlined the importance of parents providing genuine care and love to their children.

All parties must help ensure that Indonesian children can grow and become resilient and smart individuals, he said.

"All the children will carry on our fights and journeys, including in actualizing the Golden Indonesia 2045 vision," he added.

Meanwhile, the acting head of Cirebon district, Wahyu Mijaya, cited 2023 data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), saying that there are around 1.01 million child workers in Indonesia.

According to him, the Cirebon district government has taken several measures to handle cases of child exploitation and violence, including establishing a task force to monitor child protection at schools.

"We will ask school principals, deputy principals, and teachers to take part in protecting children," he emphasized.