The Street Children of Jakarta

When newly wed couples decided buy their first house, one of the deciding factors would be the environment their children would grow into. They would like to find a place safe enough for children to be playing around in day time. They would find a place that does not have a busy traffic because the street with all sorts of vehicles running around would be a disaster for the family. In Jakarta, however, many children do not get the same kind of protection or security like a normal family. Many of them live and grow up in the streets. They chose the traffic lights to be their hangout place, the mini buses as the place where they sing their heart out, and passing strangers to search for attention. The street children have become a serious problem in the city. Maybe most people would feel sorry for them, that they don't get the life they deserve as children. People think that this children are forced to leave school and make money for their family. However, not all the children are forced. Some of them chose to live in the streets because they do not want to live together with their abusive parents, they do not want to go to school that didn't really teach them anything, or they have already understood the importance of making money to rent a play station game. Some of this children have even already known how to play pity to help them getting some donations from the strangers they beg to. So, giving these children money or pity has actually not been a wise thing to do. It would probably help them very temporarily, but would teach them the wrong thing. The government of Jakarta and the people needs to be strict regarding this issue. It is not only just for their security at the moment but also for the children's future.