THE EDITOR – Makassar Mayor Danny Pomanto is preparing a shelter for underprivileged mothers and children called Jagai Anakta.
This shelter is specifically made to fulfill children’s rights and protection. And to support this goal, Makassar City also initiated various services such as the Regional Technical Implementation Unit for the Protection of Women and Children.
The unit provides victim assistance as well as special counseling services to provide a Safe House for women and children who experience violence.
“The place will be a solution for women in finding a way out,” PKK (Family Welfare Empowerment) Team Leader Indira Yusuf Ismail told The Editor.
Indira revealed that, during her time as Chairperson of the Makassar City PKK, she discovered that child marriage is still one of the problems that must be resolved by the government.
Child marriage in Makassar, she continued, is common among girls from the lower middle class. And, this marriage sometimes occurs not because of coercion, but it still causes harm to the girls.
“If it’s a child marriage, the honeymoon period is probably one month. It’s a relief if it’s fully one month. But, if there’s a honeymoon, sometimes a problem appears first. In solving this problem, some girls are short-minded, some are long-minded. So, we have to give some education,” she said.
One of the ways Indira has been able to participate in promoting the welfare of women and children is by establishing a shelter that provides legal aid and counseling.
She has asked the Makassar City government through the Women’s Empowerment Office to provide such shelters in every sub-district in the city.
“That place will be a solution for women in finding a way out,” she said.
HOW DOES THIS SHELTER WORK?
Makassar City Women and Child Protection Office (DP3A) Achi Soleman said the shelter will act as a temporary home for victims of violence against women and children, which is part of efforts to prevent and assist them.
“The community shelter is a temporary protection for victims of violence. It provides physical, psychological protection, counseling services, legal aid, and assistance or mediation,” he explained.
According to Achi, the Jagai Anakta programme has been successful, with Makassar City receiving an award as a Child Friendly City in 2022 and 2023 from the Ministry of Women Empowerment and Child Protection.
“We are committed to Makassar becoming a Child Friendly City again with our efforts to improve accessibility and quality of services,” he said.
Currently, there are 80 similar shelters spread across 30 urban villages throughout Makassar City. Shelters are also deliberately built in the middle of settlements so that they can be easily accessed by those in need and to raise public awareness of gender equality.
GLAD THAT THERE’S A SHELTER
Kasma (40), a resident of Pattingalloang Village on the outskirts of Makassar City, was relieved to learn of the Pattingalloang Community Shelter, which provides protection and support for residents – especially women and children – who are involved in disputes or subjected to other forms of violence.
“At first I was afraid and embarrassed to report,” Kasma admits. “But I decided to seek help from the community shelter because I didn’t want my daughter to be silent if she experienced something similar in the future. And I don’t want my son to put his wife and children in harm one day,” Kasma said as released by unicef.org.
After receiving her report, the shelter advised her to collect evidence, while the shelter coordinated with related parties. Thanks to the quick movement of the shelter and the support of all parties, her husband managed to go to jail.
Pattingalloang is one of 20 villages and neighborhoods in South Sulawesi with shelters.
By 2023, staff at all shelters – mostly local residents – were trained by UNICEF to help prevent online child sexual abuse and exploitation, child marriage, and gender-based violence.
The trained officers are tasked with sharing their knowledge with at least 300 villagers through sharing sessions with parents/caregivers, teachers, children and others.
The Office of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection established the shelter with support from Family Welfare Empowerment (PKK), Family Learning Centres (Puspaga), Children’s Forums, and village-level governments.
