The worst part of it all is that although these crimes upset pretty well everyone, it is the “kick reaction” from the authorities that pretty well sums up how fucked up things can and often do get here.
Take the Street Kids who are being abused. They need help? Of course they do, so here’s what the plan is!
From the Jakarta Globe
“The Jakarta city administration said on Wednesday that it would join a police initiative to round up street children and physically examine their anuses for evidence of sexual abuse, a move that the country’s leading nongovernmental child-rights organization opposes as abuse.
The move follows a police announcement on Tuesday that street children would have to submit to rectal examinations in an effort to identify victims of sexual abuse.
Budi Hardjo, head of the city’s Social Affairs Agency, said that during the citywide search for street children, the Jakarta Health Agency and the Jakarta Police would cooperate in an effort to find possible child abusers. He said that 500 personnel from different agencies would be involved.
The planned round-up is in response to the arrest of Bayquni, 49, who is also known as Babe, an accused serial killer who allegedly killed at least 10 male street children. He admitted to police that he sexually abused the corpses of his victims.
As a first step, Budi said, the city would begin a sweep today of all five municipalities in Jakarta. He said children identified by the city would be interviewed to find out why they were living on the street and undergo a health examination.
“When we find them, we will look for the reason they are on the street, whether they are from broken homes, runaways or victims of human trafficking,” Budi said.
Budi said children caught up in the city dragnet would be examined both psychologically and physically. He said they would be given a rectal examination to determine whether they had been sexually abused. “
Bloody Hell, that one had the Child Rights Campaigners up in arms in no time. Moral outrage hit the streets, the newsstands and presumably the massage parlours as well.
Less than 24 hours later…. From the Jakarta Post, the sound of Jack boot’s and brown shirts retreating from the fray!
Jakarta Police announced Thursday that they have withdrawn from the city administration plan to hold physical screening of street children across Jakarta to seek out potential abuse victims.
Jakarta Police chief detective Sr. Comr. Idham Azis said that there have been a “mistake in communication and understanding” on the plan.
“If other government institutions decide to go on with the plan, we hereby declare we are not involved,” he said as quoted by kompas.com.
Not quite what the Children’s Rights Groups wanted but certainly the cops new that they would have been on the wrong side here. It is not as yet clear whether the Vatican has been contacted to see if they have any volunteers to replace the police in this execise.
If there were any “priests” available, they could possible stand by for an exorcism, specifically of a head teacher (of an Islamic Boarding School) in downtown Tangerang who blamed his “Pet Genie” for the rape of a schoolgirl. Better still, he has openly agreed to a request from the victim’s mother that that the police obtain his DNA in order to prove his innocence, presumably Genies have different DNA….
From the Jakarta Globe…
The principal of an Islamic boarding school in Tangerang is vigorously denying allegations that he raped one of his teenage students. His defense: His “pet genie” did it.
A 15-year-old girl, identified only by the initials KHF, told Kompas.com that she was raped at the school last July. She said she had gone to the office of the principal, identified as HDN, to report that she was quitting the school’s student body.
But she claimed the principal changed the topic of conversation by saying that one of his genies had a crush on her. He reportedly promised that she would be given certain “metaphysical powers” if she agreed to have sex with the genie. The girl said she refused the offer but did not tell anyone about the encounter.
A few days later, on July 19, she said she had gone to the pantry and bumped into the principal. She said she had kissed his hand as a sign of respect and then began to feel disoriented. The next thing she remembered was waking up in the principal’s office, exhausted and with pain in her lower body.
The girl said she did not tell anyone about what had happened. Eventually, however, she confided in her mother, Khadijah, who was suspicious about her daughter’s growing stomach. Khadijah took her to the doctor and was told that her daughter was six months pregnant.
The principal has denied raping the girl and reportedly told her parents that his genie was responsible for the pregnancy. He said the genie must have been angry because it had not been fed for months. He is understood to have said the genie “borrowed” his body at the time of the rape.
In response, the girl’s family challenged him to take a DNA test. He agreed and said he was sure the test would reveal the true culprit, the girl’s mother said.
Khadijah and her husband reported the case to the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI) in Jakarta, which in turn filed a complaint with the Jakarta Police.
The crazy thing about it all is that people trust and believe in these “possibilities” and rarely question those in authority who rationalise “crimes” by using spiritual belief and fear of magic as the factors involved.
These stories abound, the cultural mix which often causes Indonesians to revert back to long remembered Animistic beliefs and blend these with current religious thinking is strange, and surprisingly quite common.
What is new however is that this “school of mixed belief” was questioned and considered unhealthy in Post Civil war / Tsunami Aceh. While rebuilding their lives, a differing Islamic model has been introduced which it was hoped would create a more civilised and law abiding region.
The Sharia Laws, which were approved within Aceh but have not been ratified by the government in Jakarta allowed the creation of a Sharia Police Force, whose function is to be defenders of the regions morality.
This force operates under the controversial Qanun Jinayat, Aceh’s set of local bylaws which were raised to to replace parts of the Criminal Code with aspects of Islamic law for Acehnese Muslims. This was approved by Aceh’s legislative council last September, however the Achenese Governor decided after international outrage from Civil Rights Groups based on the sentences which became available for use against transgressors.
The Qanun allows the local courts to sentence transgressors to delights such as stoning and lashing, for offenses such as adultery, premarital and homosexual sex. The bylaws also mandate corporal punishment for rapists, child molesters, drinkers of alcohol and gamblers.
In addition, segregation of the sexes is encouraged, tight trousers, loose or skimpy clothing, holding hands, homosexuality, and an as yet unknown number of interpretations of these bylaws can cause the Sharia Cops to chastise, warn or arrest you without any form of charge being required.
Last week, a young couple who were probably only holding hands on the beach were arrested as “Fornicators” and escorted to the local nick for re-education. The couple were separated and the three officers involved decided to undertake this deeply important re-education upon themselves, despite the couple not having been presented in front of a court. It is claimed that after this re-education they went off duty only to return later.
Their return was not out of any form of duty to ensure that the lessons of Sharia had been understood, specifically by the 20 year old female. In short, they brutally raped the girl, taking turns and repeatedly violating her.
Needless to say they were discovered, arrested (well two of them at least, the third accused has legged it) and rather than being charged under Sharia Law they were charged under Criminal Code, Indonesia’s Civil Law. (Maximum Sentence 12 years)
The Sharia Law in this case would have been Article 29, which stipulates that those convicted of rape can receive 100 to 200 lashes, or a minimum prison sentence of 100 months and maximum of 200 months.
The row rages on, those who believe in the good of Sharia want the accused tried under the Qanun Jinayat and punished to the maximum severity that this law allows, then, there is the official Indonesian Law which the police claim is the only Law which can be applied in this case.
Whichever way you look at it, I would hate to be an Indonesian Cop. Duties include checking little boys bums, DNA swab testing genies and all the while wondering which particular book of law applies.
Bugger that!
