Born with wrong body

I have been working in children issues for more than 2 years now. I have been dealing a lot with Child Rights, Child Protection Policy and Laws. There are 4 major points in the child rights, those are child right for survival to live, child right to grow and develop, child right for protection and the last but not the least is child right to participate.

I would like to highlight two articles in Indonesian Child Protection Law No. 23 year 2002.

Pasal 10 (Article 10)

Setiap anak berhak menyatakan dan didengar pendapatnya, menerima, mencari, dan memberikan informasi sesuai dengan tingkat kecerdasan dan usianya demi pengembangan dirinya sesuai dengan nilai-nilai kesusilaan dan kepatutan.

This article corresponds to the Convention on the Rights of the Child article 12 verse 1:

“State Parties shall assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her own views the right to express those views freely in all matters affecting the child, the views of the child being given due weight in accordance with the age and maturity of the child”


Pasal 11 (Article 11)

Setiap anak berhak untuk beristirahat dan memanfaatkan waktu luang, bergaul dengan anak yang sebaya, bermain, berekreasi, dan berkreasi sesuai dengan minat, bakat, dan tingkat kecerdasannya demi pengembangan diri.

This article corresponds to the Convention on the Rights of the Child article 31 verse 1

“State parties recognize the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts.”

And article 29 verse 1 (a)

1. “State Parties agree that education of the child shall be directed to: (a) the development of the child’s personality, talents and mental and physical abilities to their fullest potential;

Now, you might be wondering of what I am trying to do here. OK, I focused my mind this morning on child right to express his or her views and child rights to develop based on their mental.

This idea came when I watched Oprah Show this morning at 0800 A.M in Star World Channel. The title was born with the wrong sex. So, there are a couple of children who think that they were born in the wrong body. One of the children was born as a girl. As we all know usually girls play with dolls, wear skirts and play with girls. This girl hardly ever did such things. She (he) has been thinking that she (he) was born in the wrong body and started to think of changing her (his) sex. I will now call her as him though I am not sure whether he has changed her sex since I did not finish watching the show.

The other child was born a boy. He keeps saying that he wants to have boops and be like his mummy. I think he’s about 5 or 6 years old (as shown at first in the show). I do not know if he’s now grown up or not. Yet, there is a consultation for this transsexual thing in America. They provide consultants for people thinking or maybe realizing that they were born with the wrong sex.

This might not be a big issue, but what about the parents who have children with this thinking?

What makes these children think that they’re born with wrong sex?