Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has called on imparting public education to prevent cases of child bullying and violence.

The president led a limited cabinet meeting at his office here on Wednesday to discuss the issue.

"Care is needed from all parties to prevent and tackle cases of bullying, and the key to it is public education, families, and children to make them part of the prevention, monitoring, and surveillance efforts," he emphasized.

President Jokowi admitted to a spike in the number of cases of violence involving children in the form of sexual, physical, and psychological exploitation.

He even said that the situation was akin to the tip of an iceberg.

According to data from the Indonesian Commission for Child Protection (KPAI) for the 2011-2014 period, the agency had received a total of 369 complaints related to child bullying.

"The number of cases of violence and bullying on children, which are not yet reported, is still big," he revealed.

President Jokowi especially urged the education minister to step up the campaign against bullying in schools.

He also emphasized the importance of strengthening character education, morals, and positive attitude towards children.

"I also urged the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission to strengthen the national television broadcasting regulations, so that television stations could serve as a filter against programs that are not child-friendly," he added.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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