Murder case raises questions about Indonesia’s child protection system
Jakarta (AsiaNews) – Angeline’s tragic story is forcing Indonesians to re-examine the country’s childcare policies, especially the cracks in the legislative framework that regulates adoptions and foster care, which end up harming children.
The latest case hit the country two days ago when a child from a poor family was found dead in the garden of her foster mother’s house, in Sanur, Bali.
Three weeks before the grisly discovery, the child’s foster mother reported her disappearance. Rapidly, the story went viral in the blogosphere and social media, unleashing a wave of solidarity and attempts to find her.
When two ministers visited the family, the foster family responded with a cold shoulder, asking them to leave. This behavior alerted investigators, who began to monitor the house more closely.
The turning point in the investigation came on Wednesday when police found what turned out to be a grave in the garden with Angeline’s lifeless body inside.
Yesterday, the last chapter in her sad story was written when a former domestic helper, Agustai, confessed to her killing without saying why.
However, the post-mortem showed that Angeline had been physically mistreated by her adoptive mother (Margaretha) and had been sexually abused.
Teachers said that the child had been neglected, both in terms of her appearance and education.
According to investigators, the adoptive parents used the girl for house chores, like feeding poultry in the backyard.
Adopted by a binational couple, Indonesian woman and an American man, Angelina came from a poor family in Banyuwangi, East Java province.
Since her birth mother could not keep the child, she gave her up for foster care until she was 18.
The case has led child advocates to slam the regulatory vacuum that prevents proper protection for children in foster care.
Children who are given to foster parents are not subject to regular medical check-ups. What is more, the existing law is often disregarded with the children paying the price.
Although the government has been planning changing law to protect the rights of birth mothers, it has not yet translated its intention into concrete action.
According to the Social Affairs Ministry, the country’s 8,000 orphanages host about half a million children, all of whom can be potentially adopted or placed in foster care.
An additional 7.5 million children do not live with their birth parents, even though one or both are still alive.
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07/09/2022 12:01
