Indonesian police charge 13 in daycare abuse scandal
CCTV footage circulating on social media showed children at the Little Aresha daycare centre in Yogyakarta, most under two, lying on the floor wearing only diapers with their hands and feet bound with rags.
· CNA · JoinRead a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
YOGYAKARTA: Indonesian police have arrested 13 people after images of alleged abuse against small children at a daycare centre went viral, sparking outrage across the nation, officials said on Monday (Apr 27).
Police last Friday raided Little Aresha, a daycare centre in Yogyakarta on Java island, following a report from a former employee.
Minister for Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Arifatul Choiri Fauzi has condemned the alleged abuse and called for firm legal action and stronger child protection measures.
"We express our deepest sympathies to the child victims and their families. Child protection is a non-negotiable shared responsibility," she said at a press conference on Monday, as quoted by state news agency Antara.
"Any form of violence against children is a serious violation of human rights and cannot be tolerated under any circumstances."
CCTV footage circulating on social media showed children, most under the age of two, lying on the floor wearing only diapers, their hands and feet bound with rags. The police have confirmed that the footage is authentic.
Police said they also found 20 children crammed into a room just 3m by 3m.
CNA Games
Guess Word
Crack the word, one row at a time
Buzzword
Create words using the given letters
Mini Sudoku
Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser
Mini Crossword
Small grid, big challenge
Word Search
Spot as many words as you can
Show More
Show Less
"So far, 13 people have been named suspects" and arrested in the case, city police chief Eva Guna Pandia told reporters in Yogyakarta on Monday.
Those in custody include 11 child carers, as well as the headmaster and the head of the foundation that ran the centre.
They will face a rash of charges including child neglect. Other charges may be added as the investigation unfolds.
Pandia said the suspects told police they had tied up some of the children to prevent them disturbing others.
They claimed the centre was understaffed, with not enough personnel to bathe and dress the children, said Yogyakarta detective Riski Adrian.
The daycare centre accommodated about 100 children, more than half of whom are believed to have been maltreated, according to police.
Parent Noorman Windarto told AFP he was shocked when he received a phone call from a fellow parent last Friday, urging him to pick up his two-year-old son.
He later learnt from police that the boy, who had been attending the centre since he was three months old, was among those to have been tied up.
"My heart was shattered," the 42-year-old civil servant said.
"My wife cried. Most of them (caregivers) were women, and their body language was so tender, so soft-spoken, and appeared to be religious."
Noorman paid about 1.1 million rupiah (about US$64) - half the minimum wage in Yogyakarta - for each of his two children to attend the centre, since shuttered.
His oldest child, a daughter now aged six, stopped going recently.
She sometimes came home with bruises which the daycare centre said she must have gotten elsewhere, playing, recalled Noorman.
His son had been repeatedly hospitalised with pneumonia, which the father now suspects may have had something to do with him being made to sleep on a cold floor without clothes.
"I am very angry, furious," Noorman said. "They must be punished as severely as possible."
Arifatul, the minister for women's empowerment and child protection, said that her ministry fully supported law enforcement authorities in handling the case in a professional and just manner, while strengthening coordination with relevant institutions, including the Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK), to ensure maximum protection for victims.
"This case is an important reminder for all of us to strengthen oversight of childcare institutions. We will continue to monitor the handling process and ensure optimal recovery for victims," she added.
Under Indonesia's child protection law, the suspects risk up to five years' imprisonment and a 100 million rupiah fine.
Newsletter
Morning Brief
Subscribe to CNA’s Morning Brief
An automated curation of our top stories to start your day.
Sign up for our newsletters
Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app