"If proven guilty of rape, we are pushing for an increase in prison sentence by one-third of the main sentence, given that the perpetrator is an educator," deputy for special protection of children at the ministry, Nahar, said in a statement received here on Tuesday.
In accordance with Article 81 Paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) of Law Number 17 of 2016 about government regulation on 1 of 2016 Second Amendment to Law Number 23 of 2002 on Child Protection, perpetrators can be subjected to a punishment of 20 years in prison, he noted.
His administration has expressed deep regret over the incident. He said that educators should guide and protect their students, and if such authority is misused, they must be given the harshest punishment possible.
"We regret the rape committed by the head of a madrasah in Toraja against the victim, a child who was a student at the madrasah," he said.
Currently, the suspect has been placed in detention and the case is being investigated. The case came to light after the victim's father initiated a search for his daughter, who had failed to show up after school.
One of the witnesses, who was informed by the perpetrator, then showed the victim's location to be the school office. The next day, the victim revealed the rape and her father reported the case to the police.
"We commend the police's immediate action in pursuing legal proceedings against the suspect. We also commend the victim's parents who had the courage to report the case so that the perpetrator can be legally processed and the incident will not be repeated," he said.
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Translator: Anita Permata Dewi, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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