Jakarta
International School
The
rape of a five-year old boy in the toilets of the prestigious Jakarta
International School has shocked the expatriate community and prompted a
discussion in Indonesia about the prevalence of child sex abuse. The boy, who
turned six last week, has contracted herpes and a bacterial infection allegedly
as a result of two anal rapes by members of the school’s outsourced cleaning
staff in February and March. Two men — employees of the international contract
cleaners ISS — are in police custody. They are alleged to have attacked
the boy during school hours when he went to the toilet near his classroom. Jakarta
police say two more men and one woman are also under investigation.
The
boy is the son of a Dutch father and an Indonesian mother. He attended the
school's early childhood program. After initially requesting privacy, his
mother went public with graphic details on Monday, motivated, according to
lawyer Andi Asrun, by disappointment that the school had not acted more quickly
to address problems. They say his teachers should have been aware of the boy’s
long absences and should have noticed that he was upset when he returned to
class.
Since
his client had gone public, he said, another mother had come forward to say her
young son had told of being attacked in the toilet by men in blue uniforms but
that the boy had fought them off. Head of School Tim Carr has said the school
was cooperating fully with authorities and had made changes to security,
including the placement of closed circuit TV cameras, after it was informed of
the attacks. It has also offered support and advice to parents.
Police
have urged parents of other students at the school to check the behaviour of
their children and report anything suspicious. Mr Andi said that, apart from
providing information to the police for a criminal case, the family would issue
civil proceedings against the school and the Indonesian education minister on
Monday. They will seek a court order to close the early childhood program for
“failing to protect the children”, and also for not having a proper licence to
run a kindergarten. The department has given the school one week to apply for
the correct licence.
The
school, which teaches the children of many of Jakarta's expatriate community as
well as some Indonesians seeking a English-language education for their
children, was set up in 1951 with the involvement of foreign missions including
the Australian embassy. The embassy still has a representative on the board. The
attack has made the front pages in a number Indonesian newspapers. Indonesian
officials including the Commission for Protection of Children have been called
in, and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his wife Ani were quoted on
Thursday offering their support to the family.
The
issue of child sex assault is rarely aired in Indonesia, but coverage since the
attack has prompted suggestions that it’s a growing problem. A headline “Safe
Nowhere” in the English-language Jakarta Globe newspaper summed up the
sentiment that, if it can happen at this privileged and security conscious
school, it's likely to be a much more widespread problem. The boy's father
told Fairfax Media that, as a result of the publicity, he had been contacted by
people from all over Indonesia telling them about their own children’s abuse.
“They’re talking about it because of this, and that’s the positive thing we
have taken from it,” he said.
The
Jakarta Education Agency has sent a circular to all local schools advising them
to improve security and alert teachers to be aware of suspicious behaviour by
both staff and students. In a letter to parents, the school said it had reduced
access to the campus for outsourced staff and had enhanced security and
enforcement. The ISS cleaning staff working at the time no longer work at the
school.
The letter, signed by Mr Carr, said outsourced staff
would also be required to comply with the same medical tests as employed staff.
The school has implemented a child protection program across the school and
would set up an independent review of the incident, the letter said.
