"We support the ongoing judicial process and encourage the application of strict and maximum penalties for defendants, who committed heinous acts against children seeking the best education," Deputy for Children's Special Protection at the Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry Nahar emphasized
A teacher who is also the owner of a boarding school in Cibiru, Bandung, named Herry Wirawan, raped 12 female students from 2016 to 2021. Moreover, four of them gave birth to a total of eight children.
In the ongoing trial, the defendant was suspected of violating Article 81, paragraph (1) and paragraph (3) in conjunction with Article 76D of Law Number 35 of 2014 on Amendments to Law Number 23 of 2002, which stipulates child protection, in conjunction with Article 65 of the Criminal Code. The perpetrator is sentenced to more than five years.
Nahar noted that currently, the victims had received assistance from the Women and Children Protection Service Agency that is coordinated by the West Java technical implementation unit for women and children protection.
"Special attention is given to psychosocial assistance, so that the victims recover and can reintegrate with society," he remarked.
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Nahar urged all, including the media, to adopt a cautious approach in disseminating information and not to stigmatize victims. He stressed that the victims had the right to protect their identity or privacy in order to avoid other negative impacts.
He affirmed that cases of sexual violence in boarding schools were quite common.
The ministry also expected serious preventive measures from all quarters encompassing the management of educational institutions and the parents as well as the stakeholders.
They have encouraged every educational and care institution, including Islamic boarding schools, to possess and enact standards of care for children under their responsibility.
"We also expect parents to participate in supervising their children placed in care or educational institutions and build intensive communication with children as part of their parenting responsibilities that should not be left to these institutions," Nahar emphasized.
He opined that parenting institutions or Islamic boarding schools were required to provide orientation to students to protect them from all forms of violence and have access to report every treatment they received.
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Translator: Anita P D, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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