President Jokowi Receives SRSG and Unicef Delegation

Jakarta (Antara Bali)- President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) received a visit of Marta Santos Pais, a Special Representative on Violence against Children of the UN Secretary General (SRSG) and a delegation of United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) at Merdeka Palace, here, Monday.

The Head of State was flanked by Minister/State Secretary Pratikno, Education Minister Muhajir Effendi, and Minister of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Yohana Yembise.

Pais was accompanied by Gunilla Olsson (UNICEF Representative in Indonesia), Ali Aulia Ramly (UNICEF Child Protection Specialist and Interpreter), Andrew Claypole (Special Advisor to UN Special Representative to the Secretary General on Violence against Children), Lauren Rumble (UNICEF Deputy Representative), Amanda Bissex (UNICEF Chief of Child Protection Cluster), and  Ryan Fajar Febriyanto (UNICEF Child Protection Officer on Violence Against Children).

Following the meeting, Minister Effendi told the press that Pais lauded the Indonesian government's efforts in dealing with sexual abuse and violence against children.  
   
The UN envoy hoped Indonesia to become a role model in the fight against sexual violence against children.

She also asked about the government's program in preventing child marriage.

"I told her that the Jokowi administration has a 12-year compulsory education program, which automatically becomes a strategy to prevent child marriage if it is implemented properly," the minister said.

The compulsory education program will require students to finish senior high school, meaning that they will be 18th years old when finishing the 12th grade.

To make sure that they could finish their study until senior high school, the government has carried an Indonesian Smart Program that gives financial assistance to students from poor families.

Marta Santos Pais from Portugal was appointed as Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children (SRSG) on May 1, 2009, and took up her position on September 1, 2009.

As a high level global independent advocate, Marta Santos Pais promotes the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against children in the justice setting, in the home, in institutional care, in schools, in the workplace and in the community.  (WDY)