youarepaperboy.org

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia, 29 December 2008 Putri Saleh hosts a radio programme tailored just for children, tackling issues ranging from school problems to child abuse.

The teenaged host interrupts an Indonesian pop song and explains that listeners are now going to hear a discussion about child trafficking. She and a guest then spend 10 minutes talking about what should be done to stop the problem, particularly in Aceh, where children could be especially vulnerable after the tsunami.

Putris show is the broadcasting component of a special media programme that also includes a magazine, 'Anak Aceh', written and edited by and for young people. Together, the radio programme and magazine provide a new forum for children in a region still recovering from the tsunami, as well as from a decades-long conflict.

I am a child, too, says Putri. I need support from adults and also support from my peers. We need to help our friends who have been victims of violence, the conflict or child trafficking. Formal lessons are not useful, because these children dont need theories about how to protect themselves. They need support from adults to gain their courage back.