Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) opened a public complaint service through the Hotline Call Center 021-31901556 for victims or families of victims of the tragedy at Kanjuruhan Stadium, Malang, East Java.
“Of the 42 thousand spectators, many of them are children. If they need assistance, they can contact us,” KPAI Head of the Supervision, Monitoring, and Evaluation Division Jasra Putra stated in Jakarta, Wednesday.
People looking to send documentation regarding the incident in the form of images, videos, and voice recordings can also report via WhatsApp messenger to number 0811-1772-273, he added.
Later, his side will conduct an assessment of incoming public complaints to be further handled by KPAI or referred to other agencies.
“Later, we will assess whether KPAI will directly handle it or will we refer it to the local government,” Putra stated.
In addition to bringing the public complaint service closer, this hotline center also collects data on the children’s condition after the incident, especially those present at the time of the incident. No separation between child and adult victims also encourages the agency to conduct data collection.
“With the complaint service for victims of the Kanjuruhan tragedy, we hope that none of the victims feel left behind or ignored,” Putra stated.
The KPAI suspects that during the tragedy, there were children who suffered from minor injuries but just went home straight. Putra said the whereabouts of these children must also be traced, so they can be provided psychological assistance.
The Kanjuruhan tragedy unfolded after spectators, who were enraged by Arema FC’s 2-3 loss to Persebaya Surabaya in the Indonesian League 1 match on October 1 evening, tried to storm the pitch. The ensuing chaos prompted security personnel to fire tear gas, which stirred panic among spectators, who rushed to leave the stadium.
Based on data from the Malang District Health Service, the tragedy at the stadium caused the deaths of 131 people, including 33 children. In addition, it was recorded that 440 people suffered minor injuries and 29 people were seriously injured.
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