Understanding and Perspective

Through my independent research I grasped an understanding on the severe conditions of street children in Indonesia. Researching this topic exposed me to the traumatic futures many Indonesian street children endure and the minimal amount of organisations available to support these suffering children.  ‘YKPA’ a Bali organisation which supports local street children, outlined the possible futures of these Indonesian children if they fail to receive guidance. Many get involved in drugs, prostitution and other illicit activities. This is an important issue because Indonesia’s future relies on the nation’s children and if individuals are ignorant towards this issue Indonesia will fail to succeed. Street children often have minimal education and with the country’s success depending on the children there is little hope. Not only do Indonesians need to be aware about this crisis but so do Australians. Both nations are obliged to understand the possible repercussions along with the danger these children are confronted with. For change to occur individuals must be aware of the issue. Educating Australians about this dilemma allows the media to expose the horror to a wider nation, using the power of money and education to generate change. In my opinion once this problem is common knowledge more campaigns can support the children in need and alter Indonesia’s future positively. 

Photograph of a street child in Indonesia from the film,  'Little Treasures of Lombok'. Image from: http://www.pedulianak.org/en/news/99/singapore-international-film-festival.html 

Opinions and Attitudes

Learning about street children in Indonesia altered my opinion as I witnessed the severity of their conditions. After conducting my research I was compelled to compare the treatment and support street children receive in Indonesia to Australia. Although in Indonesia organisations such as ‘Bali Life’ and ‘YKPA’ exist to benefit the suffering children, Indonesia fails to have support systems that are available in Australia. In Western Australia the government supplies 310 Child Health Centres accessible for tormented children. They also receive support from non-government campaigns such as ‘Youth off the Streets’ and ‘Australian Childhood Foundation’ along with ‘The Red Cross’ and ‘The Salvation Army. After I learnt about the hardship endured by Indonesian street children I discovered how fortunate even the poorest Australian is. After my research I gained empathy for Indonesian street children as I learnt about their circumstances and the trauma they suffered. My attitude has changed as I now strongly believe that Australians are responsible to help as we are such a fortunate country and Indonesia requires help to terminate this crisis and save the street children from lives of misery. 

 

Photograph of street children in Indonesia from: http://s3.amazonaws.com/readers/2012/12/04/kisahanakterlantar_1.jpg 

Values and Beliefs

Upon researching Indonesian street children I discovered a statement which I strongly related to;

“The greatest ways we can help to stop children from begging on the streets is through empowering the children and their parents through education and work opportunities.” (Bali Life Foundation, 2013)

After researching this issue I became aware of how fundamental and powerful education is. Bali Life summarises the importance of education and the change and opportunities it generates. I strongly value education and believe that educating Indonesian street children can positively alter their lives. Also an article from ‘The Jakarta Globe’ discussed the increasing numbers of Indonesian children without birth certificates. Activist Scott Hanna proclaimed “these kids deserve a chance to go to school and work for a better life”. I agree with his statement, believing that people often lose hope or contemplate the realism in conquering this crisis but the children should always be given the opportunity of education despite the challenges that prevent them from obtaining it. I also had the same belief as an article on ‘Kompasiana’ as it mentioned the importance of education and the positive influence it possesses. 

Photograph of street children at the 'Bali Life Foundation' children's home. Image from: http://www.balilife.org/home.aspx

Culture and Way of Life

After researching street children in Indonesia I have learnt more about the Indonesian culture and way of life. I have grasped an understanding on how the modern Indonesian government deals with serious issues such as street children. I learnt that many organisations support educating street children, with an article from ‘Kompasiana’ stating, “The existence of skill based education for street children is a persuasive approach, so that the street children themselves want to be trained and educated”. I was surprised to learn how important education was to Indonesians and how they efficiently use it to enrich street children. I also learnt how many local Indonesians ignore street children and also view them as an issue. Many individuals in Indonesia live their lives buying cigarettes and newspapers from these street children, making no effort to help them. Also many young girls are forced into prostitution to survive live on the streets and to gain an income these young girls are required customers, often consisting of elderly men. I was alarmed to discover child prostitution was extremely common in Indonesia along with being disgusted with the individuals who exploit these innocent children. Ultimately through my research I found both positive and negative aspects of the modern Indonesian’s way of life when associated with street children. 

Photograph of a young street child accepting money from a stranger. Image from: http://www.jakartaupdates.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/anak-jalanan.jpg  

Bibliography

Bali Life Foundation, (2013), “Bali Life Foundation’, URL: http://www.balilife.org/home.aspx, accessed on the 10^th of August.

Government of Western Australia, (2014), ‘Child Health’, URL:  http://www.health.wa.gov.au/services/category.cfm?Topic_ID=18, accessed on the 12^th of August.

Jakarta Globe, (2014), ‘Giving Kids a Bright Future through Birth Certificates’, URL: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/count-me-in/giving-kids-bright-future-birth-certificates/, accessed on the 13^th of August.  

Kompasiana, (2013), “Pendidikan Untuk Anak Jalanan, Berikan Mereka Keterampilan dan Life – Skill”, URL: http://edukasi.kompasiana.com/2013/03/22/pendidikan-untuk-anak-jalanan-berikan-mereka-keterampilan-dan-life-skill-544900.html, accessed on the 13^th of August.