We reiterate our determination to enhance child-friendly religious boarding schools with the Religious Affairs Ministry through this joint commitment to protect our pupils from violence and materialise child rights-based education in boarding schools
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Women Empowerment and Child Protection and the Ministry of Religious Affairs have inked a joint commitment to promote child-friendly boarding schools and prevent violence against children. The two ministries also committed to realising child rights-based education in religious boarding schools, the Minister of Women Empowerment and Child Protection, Bintang Puspayoga, said.

"We reiterate our determination to enhance child-friendly religious boarding schools with the Religious Affairs Ministry through this joint commitment to protect our pupils from violence and materialise child rights-based education in boarding schools," Puspayoga stated.

She deplored the recurring violence against children in several places, particularly in religious boarding schools.

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"Violence against children may occur in any place, as the recent violence cases have occurred in educational institutions that ought to become a safe place for pupils to study," the minister remarked.

Her ministry has acted promptly to respond to violence against children by facilitating legal action against perpetrators and ensuring maximum sentences against them, Puspayoga confirmed.

Meanwhile, the Religious Affairs Ministry had swiftly revoked the operational permit of religious boarding school institutions where sexual violence against children is rampant and has also conceived a guide to promote child-friendly boarding school institutions.

The ministry informed that those measures are necessary to restore public faith in boarding school institutions that remain as popular educational institution alternatives for Indonesian parents.

The joint commitment also encourages boarding school institutions to reform their education paradigm by prioritising effective communication instead of violence in developing pupils' discipline to achieve a child rights-based education approach, the ministry noted.

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Translator: Anita PD, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Suharto
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