The emergence of alleged incidences of child abuse on social media platforms in recent weeks have put a negative spotlight on childcare services and facilities in the country, sparking public outrage and prompting many to urge the government to set competency standards and tighten oversight.
On Wednesday, a video clip uploaded to the Instagram account of Ayasophia Achmad (@phy_losophy) showed a child with feet taped to a high chair at a daycare centre in Pekanbaru, Riau, alleging that the tape was removed only when it was time for the child to go home.
The Pekanbaru police have named the daycare owner, identified only by the initials WF, as a suspect of child abuse after they questioned several witnesses and gathered evidence, including the viral footage.
Earlier this month, the Depok police in West Java detained the owner of Wensen School Indonesia, identified as MI, and charged her under the 2014 Child Protection Law for allegedly assaulting a two-year-old and a nine-month-old entrusted to her care at the preschool.
That incident also came to light on social media in two separate video clips reportedly showing MI kicking the toddler and throwing the infant, resulting in injury including joint dislocation.
Child psychologist Annelia Sari Sani pointed to the low standards set for providers as a causal factor of cruel and abusive treatment at childcare facilities, which led to untrained employees resorting to violence in dealing with children exhibiting challenging behaviour.
“This standardisation must be set (by the government) and differentiated for each age group, for example between care for babies and toddlers, because they have different behavioural challenges that require different strategies,” she said.
In addition to low competency standards, Annelia highlighted the lack of government oversight of the childcare industry.
For example, Wensen School Indonesia was licensed to operate only as a preschool for children aged between two and four years old, also known as a “playgroup”, and was not licensed to operate as a daycare or nursery for infants.
Following the viral case involving Wensen School, the Law and Human Rights Ministry revealed on Tuesday that 98 out of 110 daycare centres in Depok were unlicensed.
To protect children from abuse by childcare workers, Annelia has called on the government to set national competency standards and set up public childcare facilities in every city and regency across the country.
She also emphasised that local administrations should monitor and evaluate providers regularly for standards compliance.
“There must be competency standards that regulate the minimum skills required of childcare workers. For example, caregivers can have a high school education but must have professional training. For daycare workers, the requirements should be even higher,” she said. — The Jakarta Post/ANN
