"In the investigation process, we are cooperating with KPAI, law enforcers, and other parties," Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas informed here Tuesday.
According to the minister, investigations into boarding schools need to be carried out because incidents like the one reported in Bandung, West Java, could have happened in other schools, too.
He was referring to a recent case where 12 students of an Islamic boarding school were allegedly raped by the school owner named Herry Wirawan.
For this reason, inter-institutional cooperation needs to be carried out so that similar cases that are still hidden can be uncovered, and it is hoped that there will be no more similar cases, he said.
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"I have instructed all ranks to investigate schools such as boarding schools," he added.
Cases of sexual violence and sexual harassment can certainly harm children and religion, especially when they involve the leaders of religious educational institutions, he affirmed.
In addition, the Ministry of Religious Affairs will tighten the process of granting permissions to boarding schools to prevent such cases from happening again in the future, Qoumas said.
"We will improve the operational permit mechanism for boarding schools. The permission given by the Ministry of Religion should not only be in the form of paper, but we have to visit and see the school and then issue a permit," he added.
Earlier, the Bandung District Court heard the Herry Wirawan rape case. This 36-year-old married man had allegedly raped his 12 students between 2016 and 2021 and impregnated some of them.
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Translator: Khaerul Izan, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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