Jakarta. Jakarta Police called on parents of students at Jakarta International School to check the physical and psychological condition of their children in the wake of a sexual assault against one of the students allegedly committed by a number of the school’s janitors.
“We are calling on the students’ parents to check the condition of their children who study in that school. Have they been acting strangely, or are they still the same?” said Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto on Wednesday.
Rikwanto urged parents to report anything strange with their children to the police immediately, adding that they didn’t have to come to the police office if they didn’t want to, because the police were ready to come to them.
Every large police station has specially trained officers staffing Women and Children’s Units, where they aim to handle sexual assault cases with sensitivity.
Rikwanto said that investigators were looking into the possibility that there could be more victims at Jakarta International School (JIS).
Investigators have questioned nine witnesses, including teachers, security officers, nannies and outsourced employees.
“The questions were related to who were working there and whether they were screened for diseases or if they underwent any psychological tests, and more. Schools should not be hesitant to check on the backgrounds and the psychological condition of their employees,” he said.
Aside from school employees, investigators have also questioned people from ISS, an outsourcing company that provides cleaning service staff for the school.
“Dewi from the outsourcing company ISS, which works with the school to send cleaning service staffers, has been questioned. She’s been cooperative so far. They also submitted photos of the workers and they are being examined. The outsourcing employees are all registered,” he said.
Responding to a question on whether such an incident has ever happened at the school before, Rikwanto said that this was the first incident.
Rikwanto said that the number of sexual assault cases against children has remained relatively the same in terms of quantity, but has taken on an alarming degree of severity.
Rikwanto said that only two people have been named as suspects in the case but investigators suspected three more people.
“Two have been named as suspects. One woman has not been proven [to be involved], and we still suspect two others,” he said.
Previously Rikwanto said that three people, including a woman, had been named as suspects in the case, but it turned out the police did not have sufficient evidence to name the woman as a suspect.
Rikwanto said that the two suspects had been questioned and had undertaken forensic lab tests.
“The lab test has been conducted, but there is no criminal indication yet,” said Rikwanto, without elaborating on the nature of tests in use.
Rikwanto said that while the victim had identified both men, investigators still needed to prove they committed the alleged assault.
“The victim knows them, but we still need to ensure that these two people really touched the victim,” he said.
Investigators have also coordinated with the Indonesian Commission for Protection of Children (KPAI) to give the boy counseling and help him recover both physically and psychologically.
Statement from JIS
Tim Carr, principal of the kindergarten at the Jakarta International School, told reporters that he was saddened by the incident and that the school would cooperate with authorities.
“We will continue to cooperate closely with the National Education Ministry, the police and other government institutions to find the best solution. Our main focus has been and will be to prioritize the welfare of the students and their families, and the security and safety of our school community,” said Carr, who held a brief press conference after meeting with National Education Ministry officials.
Carr refused to take questions during the press conference.
Lydia Freyani Hawadi, the National Education Ministry’s director at the Directorate-General for Early Age and Non-Formal Education (PAUDNI), said that the ministry supported the police investigation and that her office will also review the school’s condition to prevent similar attacks from happening in the future.
“It’s too early to say whether or not JIS will be closed down because a team that I just formed will check on JIS,” said Lydia.
Permits to open an international school are issued by the National Education Ministry, not the Jakarta Education Office, and therefore any sanctions for the school will be issued by the ministry.
Lydia said that her office has coordinated with the Jakarta Education Office to send an oversight team to the school.
Lydia said that the case is a form of violence against children and therefore the oversight team will see what kind of regulations the school has enforced to protect its students from any form of violence.
“Schools should have clear regulations that must be obeyed by all elements in the school to protect children’s rights. For that, schools need to get a warning from the government so that they pay attention to children’s rights and provide optimum protection,” she said.
“The government can issue a harsh sanction if there is no improvement,” Lydia said.
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