Antara News·Indonesia·Thursday, September 24, 2026 at 10:37 AM

Sign language access key to protect children with disability: Minister

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Anita Pemata Dewi, Resinta Sulistiyandari

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Minister of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Arifah Fauzi stressed the importance of sign language access in upholding the rights and protecting children with disabilities.

"Sign language enables individuals to build relationships, access information, learn, express themselves, voice opinions, make decisions on their own lives, and participate in social life. For deaf children, access to communication is not merely a technical issue but a fundamental part of fulfilling children's rights," she said in a statement on Thursday.

The minister made the statement during the 2026 International Day of Sign Languages Campaign.

Arifah noted that limited communication access can affect many areas of children's lives, from education and access to information to social interaction and self-expression.

Adequate communication access enables children to communicate when they feel scared, uncomfortable, or sick, and to speak up about bullying or violence, she added.

To this end, the ministry continues to advocate for equal access to women and child protection services, including through the SAPA 129 hotline for women and children with disabilities.

"We must ensure that every victim who wants to speak out has the means to report their experience. We must prevent children who experience violence from being unable to explain what happened simply because those around them cannot communicate with them," Arifah stated.

Therefore, disability-friendly services should not be viewed as mere add-ons. Instead, inclusivity must be an integral part of the service quality itself, she continued.

Meanwhile, Iwan Satriyawan Setyohadi, an Indonesian Sign Language instructor from the Indonesian Sign Language Center in Jakarta, explained that Indonesian Sign Language (Bisindo) is the natural language of the deaf community. It possesses distinct linguistic characteristics and is not universal.

Understanding deaf language and culture is crucial to establishing inclusive communication, he noted.

"By learning sign language, we not only gain the ability to communicate with deaf individuals but also learn to understand the culture and create a more inclusive environment. Sign language can serve as a bridge, enabling better communication between deaf individuals and the wider community," Iwan remarked.

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