The suspect was nabbed on Saturday evening (Jan 27) after the ill-fated children's parents reported him to the police, East Jakarta Police Chief Senior Commissioner Nicholas Ary Lilipaly said.
AS is currently under the police custody to help the East Jakarta police dig deeper into this child molestation case, he said.
He told the police investigators that he molested the children in the Pisangan Baru neighborhood area of Matraman Subdistrict, East Jakarta, after spending much time watching porn.
This molestation case has grabbed public attention after a video containing the suspect's crime went viral. Thanks to reports, filed by the victims' parents, the East Jakarta police officers arrested AS.
The police investigators have charged AS of violating Articles 76e juncto 82 of the 2016 Child Protection Law that may lead the East Jakarta district court to sentence him to 11 years in prison, he added.
ANTARA reported earlier that cases related to violence against children, including those related to molestation, remain a serious problem in Indonesia.
In responding to the problem, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) had instructed relevant ministries/government agencies to carry out massive reforms while handling cases of violence against children.
President Jokowi had even asked for an improvement of rehabilitation and social reintegration services for victims, as well as one-stop service facilities for community complaints, assistance, and health services relating to cases of violence against children.
He also highlighted the importance of a punishment which provides a deterrent effect in cases of violence against children, especially pedophilia.
Efforts to prevent violence against children must also be prioritized and must involve families, schools and the surrounding communities, he said during a limited meeting on handling cases of violence against children four years ago.
According to data from the women and child protection online information system, the number of reported cases of violence against children increased significantly from 1,975 cases in 2015 to 6,820 cases in 2016.
Related news: Two out of three Indonesian children experienced violence: Minister
Translator: Syaiful H, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Atman Ahdiat
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