Child deaths in Indonesia spark plea to address mental health and poverty: ‘wake-up call’

The deaths of three children by suspected suicide in recent weeks have shocked Indonesia, with child protection advocates saying they should serve as a “wake-up call” for the nation to pay more attention to young people’s well-being and mental health, particularly in remote and disadvantaged areas.In one case, reports that a child had asked for money for basic school supplies shortly before his death raised questions about whether state welfare programmes were reaching families most in need, analysts said.The latest cases occurred on February 12, where two girls, aged 14 and 12, were found dead in their respective homes in Penajam Paser Utara in East Kalimantan and Demak in Central Java. Police ruled out foul play in both deaths, but the children were suspected to have been subjected to bullying and bad parenting.On January 29, a 10-year-old boy was found dead in Ngada, East Nusa Tenggara, one of Indonesia’s poorest provinces. The boy lived with his grandmother in a tiny bamboo hut with a dirt floor, no electricity or sanitation. The boy’s mother raised five children on her own with the wages she earned as an irregular agricultural worker, while his father had left before he was born.Dion Roa, the local village head, told news outlet Detik that the child asked for money to buy a notebook and a pen the night before the incident, a request swiftly rejected by his mother “due to her financial difficulties”.The family was reportedly not included in any social welfare programme, such as education, food and housing aid.