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Dini Shanti Purwono, presidential spokesperson for legal affairs (twitter)

Indonesian President Joko Widodo has signed a regulation to protect the rights of children who have been subject to or witnessed a crime.

The Presidential Regulation Number 75 Year 2020 concerning the Implementation of the Rights of Child Victims and Child Witnesses of Criminal Offenses entitles child victims and witnesses to medical rehabilitation, social rehabilitation, and guarantees their physical, mental, and social safety.

It also grants them the right to access information about developments in the case.

The Presidential Regulation, which was issued on July 6, 2020, is a direct mandate from Law Number 11 of 2012 concerning the Juvenile Justice System, Dini Shanti Purwono, presidential spokesperson for legal affairs, said in Jakarta  on Tuesday.

"In Presidential Regulation Number 75/2020, the President reiterates that every Indonesian child, especially a child who is a victim of a crime (child victim) and a child who is a witness of a criminal act (child witness) has the right to have a sense of security in line with the law," Dini informed.

"With Presidential Regulation Number 75/2020, the President makes sure the presence of the state by guaranteeing the safety of child victims and witnesses, protecting their personal security as well as the security of their families and property," the spokesperson remarked.

The results of a national survey on Indonesian children in 2018 had showed that 67 percent, or two out of three children and teenagers aged between 13 and 17 years had experienced emotional, physical, or sexual violence in their lifetime.

The Commission for Protection of Indonesian Children (KPAI) had stated that the number of child abuse cases reached 2,178 in 2011 and rose further to 4,885 cases in 2018.

Data from the Online Information System for the Protection of Women and Children (SIMFONI PPA) showed a total of 3,928 cases of violence against children between January 1 and June 17, 2020, which included 852 cases of physical violence, 768 cases of psychological abuse, and 1,848 cases of sexual violence.

In addition, news surfaced in June this year of the Jakarta Metro Police's Criminal Investigation Unit arresting Francois Abello Camille (FAC), alias Frans, 65, at a hotel in Jakarta. Police officials said they found two underage girls in his room.

The French citizen allegedly molested at least 305 Indonesian minors. He later died in a police hospital after attempting suicide while in detention in Jakarta. (ANTARA)