Indonesia has launched new efforts against child sexual abuse, after a high-profile case prompted public outrage and sparked unprecedented scrutiny of the problem in the conservative country.
Last month several janitors at the prestigious Jakarta International School were charged with assaulting at least one kindergarten pupil.
Police arrested six suspects, one of whom killed himself in detention.
If the intensity of the debate is new in Indonesia, the problem of child abuse is less so, activists say.
Nearly 3000 cases of violence against children were recorded last year by the NGO National Commission on Child Protection, more than 40 per cent of which were sexual attacks. That would mean more than 1200, or 100+ per month.
"Violence against children in Indonesia, including sexual attacks, has reached emergency levels," commission chairman Arist Merdeka Sirait said.
"The actual number is a lot higher, but our government pays little attention to the problem and there's no accurate data."
Indonesian children are vulnerable to sexual abuse because they lack early sex education, said Seto Mulyadi, an advisor to the government-run Indonesian Child Protection Commission.
"Our children are not trained to be aware of the threat and there are children who mistake molestation as a demonstration of love," he said.
Purnianti, a lecturer in criminology at the University of Indonesia, said sex remained a taboo subject and parents rarely talked about it with their children or other people.
But the alleged incidents at the school seem to have broken some of the taboo, as police say they are investigating other reported assaults there, and more cases are being openly discussed.
A few weeks later, police in West Java announced the arrest of a 24-year-old man on suspicion of sexually assaulting more than 80 children, including an 11-year-old boy who died in February.
Police also said they were investigating a Jakarta man suspected of repeatedly abusing his nine-month-old nephew, who died in November.
"Recent revelations indicate that the attitude is changing," Purnianti said.
"Now we read in the media stories about child sex abuse almost daily."
Jakarta International School director Timothy Carr said: "If there's any silver lining for this horrendous event, it may be that the spotlight on our school will hopefully calibrate the standards of care, the awareness of the need to protect children.
"It's not just a matter for the school, but a matter for families, businesses. The entire world focusing on it," he said.
The school was the subject of another scandal when it was revealed that an American who worked there for 10 years until 2002 was a prolific child sex offender.
William James Vahey committed suicide in the US in March after US authorities found 90 pornographic photographs on his hard drive of boys he had allegedly molested.
Critics say Indonesian authorities are not only reluctant to discuss sex abuse of children, but also to prosecute it, creating impunity for offenders and making it a favoured destination for foreign pedophiles.
Child protection activists said predators in holiday resorts such as Bali lure poor children into sex by giving them gifts and sponsoring their education, with authorities often turning a blind eye.
Under Indonesian law, child sex abuse is punishable by a maximum 15 years in jail, but convicted offenders often only serve three to five, campaigners were cited as saying by the Jakarta Globe.
Responding to the public outrage, Health Minister Nafsiah Mboi last week suggested that child sex attackers be castrated medically. Yeah, I'm thinking, physically!
Pray for Indonesia. For the government, law enforcement and judges to dramatically improve their attitude to one of intolerance toward child sex abuse.
Last month several janitors at the prestigious Jakarta International School were charged with assaulting at least one kindergarten pupil.
If the intensity of the debate is new in Indonesia, the problem of child abuse is less so, activists say.
Nearly 3000 cases of violence against children were recorded last year by the NGO National Commission on Child Protection, more than 40 per cent of which were sexual attacks. That would mean more than 1200, or 100+ per month.
"Violence against children in Indonesia, including sexual attacks, has reached emergency levels," commission chairman Arist Merdeka Sirait said.
"The actual number is a lot higher, but our government pays little attention to the problem and there's no accurate data."
Indonesian children are vulnerable to sexual abuse because they lack early sex education, said Seto Mulyadi, an advisor to the government-run Indonesian Child Protection Commission.
"Our children are not trained to be aware of the threat and there are children who mistake molestation as a demonstration of love," he said.
Purnianti, a lecturer in criminology at the University of Indonesia, said sex remained a taboo subject and parents rarely talked about it with their children or other people.
But the alleged incidents at the school seem to have broken some of the taboo, as police say they are investigating other reported assaults there, and more cases are being openly discussed.
A few weeks later, police in West Java announced the arrest of a 24-year-old man on suspicion of sexually assaulting more than 80 children, including an 11-year-old boy who died in February.
Police also said they were investigating a Jakarta man suspected of repeatedly abusing his nine-month-old nephew, who died in November.
"Recent revelations indicate that the attitude is changing," Purnianti said.
"Now we read in the media stories about child sex abuse almost daily."
Jakarta International School director Timothy Carr said: "If there's any silver lining for this horrendous event, it may be that the spotlight on our school will hopefully calibrate the standards of care, the awareness of the need to protect children.
"It's not just a matter for the school, but a matter for families, businesses. The entire world focusing on it," he said.
The school was the subject of another scandal when it was revealed that an American who worked there for 10 years until 2002 was a prolific child sex offender.
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| William James Vahey |
Critics say Indonesian authorities are not only reluctant to discuss sex abuse of children, but also to prosecute it, creating impunity for offenders and making it a favoured destination for foreign pedophiles.
Child protection activists said predators in holiday resorts such as Bali lure poor children into sex by giving them gifts and sponsoring their education, with authorities often turning a blind eye.
Under Indonesian law, child sex abuse is punishable by a maximum 15 years in jail, but convicted offenders often only serve three to five, campaigners were cited as saying by the Jakarta Globe.
Responding to the public outrage, Health Minister Nafsiah Mboi last week suggested that child sex attackers be castrated medically. Yeah, I'm thinking, physically!
Pray for Indonesia. For the government, law enforcement and judges to dramatically improve their attitude to one of intolerance toward child sex abuse.
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