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Indonesia Teenage Model Chooses Not to Live With Mother
Zaky Pawas | January 31, 2012

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The teen television commercial model who ran away from her home in East Jakarta to stay with a family in Sorong, West Papua, has opted not to return to her mother, police said on Monday.

“When we returned her, we allowed Vita to choose herself with whom she wanted to stay and it turns out she chose Mrs. Maya,” Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto said.

Rikwanto was referring to Ruvitasari Siahaan, 13, who fled from her home and disappeared for more than two weeks, and Maya, whom she saw as her adopted mother.

Ruvitasari said after she was found in Sorong earlier this month that she had been unhappy with being “exploited” by her mother, Lili.

Rikwanto said that Vita, as Ruvitasari is better known, felt more comfortable living with Maya than with her own mother.

“A child’s perception is simple. She would want to stay where she is comfortable,” he said.

He said that when Vita was taken back to Jakarta from Sorong, she had met with both Maya and Lili.

“What is clear is that Mrs. Maya is trying to persuade Vita to return to her mother and she feels burdened because of this problem,” Rikwanto said.

The National Commission for Child Protection (Komnas Anak) is also trying to mediate in the dispute and ultimately convince Vita to return to her mother.

Rikwanto said there was no plan to follow up on Vita’s claim of maltreatment by Lili, saying the mother’s behavior was still within reasonable limits.

“Vita claimed she was beaten and had her hair pulled, but from the mother’s deposition, it was the actions of a mother trying to teach her [child] not to return home too late in the evening,” Rikwanto said.

Arist Merdeka Sirait, from Komnas Anak, said his organization would work to return Vita to Lili but would afterward also monitor the child once she returned to her biological mother.

“If there is really maltreatment and child exploitation, then we will take the next steps,” Arist said without elaborating.