Bali and Batam to be Safer for Children

(7/28/2003)

At ceremonies marking National Children's Day on Wednesday, July 23, 2003, President Megawati Soekarnoputri used the occasion to announce that the islands of Bali and Batam would be launched as pilot projects as child sexual exploitation-free zones.

The two islands were chosen for intensive and coordinated efforts to protect children from sexual predators because of their popularity as tourist destinations and indications child prostitution may be taking root in these two locales.

While details of the specific steps to be introduced were not announced, the President's comments follow by less than a month a major conference on preventing the sexual exploitation of children held in Bali on June 26, 2003, sponsored by the Indonesian Government and the World Tourism Organization.