Child abuse cases on the rise in Indonesia

PSYCHOLOGISTS say society should take a tougher stand on child abuse, which is increasing in Indonesia.

Three ways to fight this trend are to hold awareness programs on children’s rights, give guidance to high-risk children and create online services to record child abuse cases, said Endang Widyorini from the Semarang-based University of Soegijapranata.

The psychologist spoke during the June 24-25 International Conference on Early Childhood and Youth Development held in the University of Widya Mandala in Surabaya, East Java.

Of the 786 victims of abuse reported in East Java in 2009, 64 were children under 18 and the rest were women, according to local media reports.

Difficult economic circumstances could also spark tensions within a family with the children most at risk of violence from adults, said Agnes Maria Sumargi, a psychology lecturer.

Full report from ucanews.com