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The harrowing tales of sexual abuse and murder splashed across newspapers and broadcast on the evening news following the arrest of self-confessed serial killer Bayquni have brought much-needed attention to the plight of Jakarta’s more than 4,000 street children.

Seto Mulyadi, chairman of the National Commission for Child Protection (Komnas Anak), said recently that street children were one of the most vulnerable sectors of society.

“They’re exposed to sexual abuse and violence, and they have to undergo special treatment to recover from their trauma,” he said.

In a bid to address the problem, the Jakarta city administration on Friday promised to improve the way it handled the displaced children who live and work on the streets of the capital.

Realizing that the city cannot handle the problem on its own, Jakarta officials have asked for help from various government bodies to reach the goal of getting children off the streets and back into homes by 2011.

Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo said a plan earlier this month to round up the children was only a temporary solution and that more comprehensive measures were needed to resolve the issue.

“We need better programs to educate them and empower them,” Fauzi said. “We also call on the central government to help us regarding this matter.”

He said the children needed to be trained in basic life skills and provided with education to keep them off the streets permanently.

On Friday, the governor met with State Minister for Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Linda Amalia Sari to discuss how they could work together to look after the needs of street children.

“We are committed to take care of street children because they are victims. We have been collaborating with the Social Affairs Ministry and initiating advocacy projects with all local governments,” Linda said.

“Right now, we’re aware that teaching them at government care homes is not the only way that we can help them.”

She said the street children needed to be given immediate attention, especially if syndicates involved in child-trafficking were taking advantage of their plight.

“We are afraid that behind all this is the issue of child trafficking. That’s why we need to take on this problem with a sense of urgency,” Linda said.

“This is a huge challenge for us, but I hope that we can see some significant results by next year,” she said.

Linda said part of the plan was to merge efforts within the government and with private organizations.

“We’re trying to maintain the same set of goals, the same set of targets in tackling this issue so that we’re all on the same path,” Linda said.

“I know that it’s not that easy to consolidate the efforts of every official because every one of them has a different point of view, but this shouldn’t stop us from reaching our ultimate objective.”