Indonesian Parents Forced To Give Up Kids

(AP)  Yulianto's parents are still alive, but the 13-year-old has spent half his life in an orphanage. Looking down at the ground, he quietly explains why: His mom and dad are too poor to feed him and put him through school.

Yulianto is far from alone. A major survey of Indonesia's child care institutions released this month found orphanages flooded with children separated from their parents not by death, but because of poverty.

"I just want to be with my parents, even if it means I cannot get an education," said Yulianto, who like many Indonesians uses a single name.

The study by the U.S.-based charity Save the Children and the Indonesian government was the first detailed look at children's homes in the country. It surveyed six provinces and analyzed the legal and political issues facing the institutions.

According to the report, up to 500,000 of Indonesia's 85 million children live in institutions, one of the highest rates in the world. Of those, 90 percent still have one or more parent alive.

In the 36 homes surveyed, the children spent much of the time when they were not at school cooking, cleaning and looking after younger children because the institutions were under staffed.

Staff quoted in the report were not worried about this, saying the children were receiving free food and education and would almost certainly be working in the fields or helping their parents if they had remained at home.

"The staff are about managing children, not providing care," said Florence Martin, a child protection adviser with Save the Children in Jakarta. "Institutions think their purpose is providing education, so children's needs at the psychological level are not on the agenda."

The survey found government policy was in part fueling the surge in parents giving up their kids.

As part of efforts to combat poverty, the government has for five years funded orphanages based on the number of children they register. The aid has led religious and social organizations to establish new institutions and existing homes to actively "recruit" children, the survey found.

As evidence, the survey pointed to a dramatic rise in the number of orphanages in Indonesia - as many as 8,000, up from 1,600 in 1998.

"If you wanted to be mean, you could say running an institution is a pretty good business," said Martin. "When you've got 10 children coming out, you need to find 10 children to come in."

The report says most children have little contact with their families - perhaps a brief visit home once a year - because they are too poor to travel. Some institutions discourage relationships between children and their families because "it is believed the moral guidance children get in institutions would be weakened by contact with parents," Martin said.

Yulianto lives in the Parapattan Orphanage in central Jakarta with 65 other kids. The home encourages families to visit, but many parents say they cannot often do so because they lack money and work long hours.

The buildings are clean, but signs of wear and tear are everywhere. Paint peels from the walls and grass grows up between cracked concrete flooring. In the yard, boys use sandals to bat plastic balls over a shredded net.

The report makes it clear that the parents give up their children because of poverty.

World Bank figures show about half of Indonesia's 235 million people live on less than US$2 a day. Martin said the soaring prices of staple foods and a recent 30 percent increase in fuel costs would surely lead to more parents giving up their kids.

"I know my children are angry with me, but I try to convince them that is the best choice for us," said Tinor Niang, a 38-year-old noodle vendor who brought her two sons to Parapattan nine years ago.

"As a mother I want to take care of my children but I cannot be selfish. I want the best future for them, so I have no choice but to leave them."

Almost all of Indonesia's children's homes are privately run, many by Islamic organizations in this majority Muslim country. Nearly half operate on less than US$10,000 a year, the report found.

Makmur Sunusi, director general for social services and rehabilitation at the Welfare Ministry, said the government was aware of the problem and was looking at ways to help poor families without breaking them up.

Farm laborer Noldi Jacob held back tears explaining why he left his children at Parapattan.

"The economic situation is getting more difficult and I cannot depend on my brothers and sisters to pay for my children," he said. "As a father it pains me to admit that I cannot finance my children, but I believe this orphanage can guide, love and teach them."

[pierson98]

(1) Rarely is birth control completely out of reach, as far as expense. Sure, some methods are more expensive, and nothing is 100% effective. But most of these pregnancies are a result of a complete failure to plan.

(2) If you really can''t afford ANY birth control, and you also can''t afford children ... then keep it in your pants. Why is that seen as a cruel or naive thing to say? We say it here in the US all the time - we see these pregnant teenagers and say, ''show some discipline and wait!''

The same can''t be expected of Indonesians? Why not? Are they animals that can''t control themselves?
Of course they aren''t. They''re regular people, with brains and the ability to communicate. It''s not ''cruel'' to hold them to the same standard as anyone else. Which should be:
IF YOU CAN''T FEED EM, DON''T BREED EM.

[edintex]

The poor in India solved their poverty problem. They sell their children to American owned factories. Then the factories work the kids 18 hours a day for no pay. Then we buy stock in the factories because their profitability goes up. See, it''''s a win-win for everybody.
Posted by SistaTee at 04:36 PM : Jun 22, 2008

Yeah, you said it sista! If it weren''t for the big bad U.S. companies, we could be ALL be living just like those lucky Indonesians. Oh well, I gues we can just dream, huh?

[sistatee-2009]

The poor in India solved their poverty problem. They sell their children to American owned factories. Then the factories work the kids 18 hours a day for no pay. Then we buy stock in the factories because their profitability goes up. See, it''s a win-win for everybody.

[brianbwb-2009]

"hey ybotheratall - they dont have tv or radios - that''''s how these so-called parents keep themselves busy...really sad" Posted by sociald63

This is a common misconception, you would be surprised at how much places like Prapatan (the correct spelling)resemble rural America, a bit more tropical perhaps, but the majority have at least one tv, and most have at least handphones.

The real problem is corruption, which is blatant, and known worldwide as an endemic part of Indonesian governance, which those who practice it don''t necessarily consider as being wrong, even as it contradicts their religious heritage. Indeed what we call corruption is seen as using whatever opportunity presents itself to enrich one''s self, without regard for the loss, or damage to the community as a whole.

This is not a story of primitive cultures that cannot cope with modern times, rather it is a picture of the not too distant future of all corrupt countries, including and especially the US, so it would be wise to take this as a lesson, rather than an opportunity to imagine ourselves superior.

[susanhelit]

Birth control is sometimes out of reach financially, sometimes the church prevents it, and sometimes it simply fails.

It''s a sad situation. More help for the families would be good - hopefully it''s possible. This is why we have welfare - can''t let the children starve for being unfortunate enough to be born into poverty, don''t want to send so many thousands and more to institutions to raise them.

[sociald63]

hey ybotheratall - they dont have tv or radios - that''s how these so-called parents keep themselves busy...really sad

[bdrlnt4rl]

and people are against america?

[ybotheratall]

If things are that bad and there is no hope for parents to feed, clothe and provide for their children, then why in the name of everything decent do they KEEP HAVING THEM? I used to watch the video of the starving and dying children in Africa and don''t get me wrong, it broke my heart but WHY do they keep getting pregnant over and over and over and over again, only to watch the children DIE? I''ll never understand that. Well, if the church has anything to do with charity, that explains it. These women need BIRTH CONTROL, at least until their situation warrants being able to take care of their own children.