Jakarta, IO – Indonesia has been independent for 78 years. One of the most important issues for us, which requires solution, is the freedom of expression – especially for Indonesian children, as the holders of the nation’s future.
To express their concern for children’s talent and potential, Versi magazine held a Duta Anak dan Remaja Nusantara (“Nusantara Child and Teen Ambassador”) event at the Kota Kasa-blanka Mall, South Jakarta, on 17 August 2023.
“We are aware that up to now, the free¬dom of Indonesia’s children to express themselves is not fully realized, because of various factors. Therefore, we organized the Child and Teen Ambassador event, to give children and teens a common social space and guide them on how to develop their talents and strengths,” explained Indah Warsetio, a personal branding coach and practitioner as well as the CEO of Versi Magazine.
Recently, the Women Empowerment and Child Protection discovered that freedom of expression, especially that of children, is not fully realized in many parts of our country, as Child Forums are frequently excluded from any discussion of Regional Development Plans. This is counterproductive, as children are all nation’s future and Indonesia should prepare plans, facilities, and systems to develop its children into active, creative, innovative, and problem-solving adults.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (“UNCRC”) declares that children must be nurtured. They must be able to grow, learn, play, and develop according to their human rights and dignity, and be protected from dangers too. In this context, the State must respect, protect, and promote children’s rights, and must also protect them from all forms of discrimination, violence, and exploitation. The State must take all the necessary legislative and administrative steps required to ensure that all children are protected, and that all of their needs are a primary focus of consideration when making any decision, and taking any action, that will ultimately affect them.
The Nusantara Child and Teen Ambassador event comprises several activities, including the Nusantara Fashion Parade. The children and teens participating in the Parade wore rich tradi-tional costumes from throughout the Archipelago, and they were mentored by former models as well as the Founder of OV Modelling School, Ovie Wu. There was also performance of the modern variation of the famous regional Fan Dance choreographed by Aaliyah Maharani Putri Sidik, a fashion show highlighting the Kebaya Kembang or Floral Kebaya collection created by Bu Broto and a magic show performed by Indonesia’s Got Talent former participants Mr. Gandhi and Enzo Carvalo.