October 1, 2024
JAKARTA – The past few weeks, if not months, have not been a proud time for our teenagers, the generation that will carry the torch to achieve the country’s vision of a Golden Indonesia by 2045, with news reports of youth violence resounding from across the archipelago.
The litany began with reports of alleged bullying at the private Binus School in South Tangerang, Banten, early this year. The case, which went viral on social media, involved several students who allegedly beat, burned with a cigarette and choked their juniors, among other actions.
The dust has barely settled on the first case, but another branch of the Binus School was rocked by allegations of bullying, with a 16-year-old victim claiming to have been bullied by an unnamed gang of dozens of students since enrolling at the school in November 2023. The police are investigating the case.
These cases may just be the tip of the iceberg. The Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) has reported that it received more than 300 reports of violence against children in educational institutions. Most of the reported cases, according to the commission, were of bullying.
The 300 case figure only accounts for instances of bullying that took place on school grounds. The real figure, including bullying outside schools, could be much higher.
Look at Bekasi, West Java, where seven male teenagers were found dead in the Bekasi River. Before their death, the boys, who were aged between 15 and 20, were reportedly chased by police officers who had received reports of them instigating a brawl through social media. Some of their friends were arrested for being in possession of sharp weapons.
If we are looking for someone to blame in these saddening cases, we must look first at ourselves, the adults, for perpetuating the conditions under which young people commit violence.
The Education Ministry has regulations to prevent bullying. But teachers and other school staffers may be lacking a clear understanding of what constitutes violence and in turn commit actions considered violent by their students.
People around children are not helping either, with experts pointing out that families tend to rely heavily on schools for their children’s education, depriving the teenagers of proper, heart-to-heart interaction. In some cases, it is even possible for the parents themselves to commit violence against or in front of their children.
The media may have helped fuel the crisis too. Television may be irrelevant in this case since today’s teenagers are not watching that relic of the past anymore, but some programs still freely broadcast acts of violence and bullying on air, often disguised as comedy.
Social media does not do any better. With the country counting among the rudest nations on Earth on the net, teenagers, who are generally very active on social media, have been exposed to the ill-mannered behaviors of netizens almost 24/7.
These children may think, “If adults are fine doing it both off and online, maybe it’s fine for me to do it too.” After all, children and teenagers are great imitators.
Looking at the bigger picture, the state may also share some portion of the blame for rampant youth violence, given the improper implementation of anti-bullying policies, the lack of safe public spaces for teenagers to be and to self-actualize and bad economic and labor policies that force the adults into overwork and cause them to spend less time with their children.
While parents and teachers have a long list of things to do to prevent more youth violence from occurring, the government should also work better to help us adults create a safe environment for young people.
Otherwise, we will produce not an Indonesia emas (golden) but an Indonesia cemas (worried) by the time our centennial arrives.