REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesia's Minister of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Yohana Yembise has called upon all Indonesians to help protect children from the Internet-based violence.

"Today, an increasing number of cases are being reported in which Internet-based violence was involved," Minister Yembise said here Tuesday.

The Internet-based violence includes bullying and pornography, she remarked.

"Many factors could trigger violence against children, and one of them is the inappropriate use of the Internet," he noted.

The Internet's contents vary a great deal, ranging from very positive to very negative information. It was crucial that the Internet is used in an appropriate manner.

Based on data from the Cyber Crime Survey in 2014, nine percent of the Internet users reported at least once receiving contents depicting violence, radicalism or even terrorism.

About 64 percent of the Internet users received pornographic content. And 49 percent of the Internet users do not realize that certain online games have age restriction.

The minister emphasized the important role of family, particularly parents, and of teachers in schools and other educators, to help supervise the usage of the Internet by children.

"Good and positive communication needs to be developed between parents and children as well as between students and teachers, so that the children or students feel free consult," the minister said.

Parents and teachers must be aware of the impact of pornography and bullying on children.

They must also understand that the Internet also features negative content and should know how to prevent children's access to it.

In the meantime, crimes against children in Indonesia are at an alarming level and in several cases, the perpetrators were found to be people close to or familiar with the victims, according to the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) Deputy Chairman, Susanto.

He pointed out that Indonesian children continue to experience problems and were still vulnerable to becoming victims of violence, murder, pornography, both sexual and economic exploitation, and even trafficking.

The KPAI received more than 16,000 reports of violence against children across the country's 34 provinces and 179 cities in the past four years.

In 2014, the number of reported child abuse cases nationwide increased to 5,066, up from 4,311 in the previous year, according to the Jakarta Post.

This year, the commission has recorded almost 2,000 cases between January and July.

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