Professional Forensics Suggested For Use In Cases Of Alleged Sexual Violence In East Luwu

JAKARTA - Deputy Chairperson of the Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK), Edwin Partogi Pasaribu, encouraged the police to facilitate a neutral and professional forensic examination in handling cases of alleged sexual abuse of three children in East Luwu, South Sulawesi.

"We found the impression that the victim's mother had doubts about the results of the visum et repertum and visum et repertum psychiatricum examinations that had been carried out on the victim three times, starting from examinations at the Malili Health Center, to the Bhayangkara Police Hospital in Makassar, South Sulawesi," he said in a written statement. received in Jakarta, reported by Antara, Wednesday, October 13.

This doubt, according to him, is one of the root causes of the alleged molestation case experienced by three children in East Luwu. The matter ended with the issuance of the Decision on the Termination of Investigation (SKP2) on December 10, 2019.

Therefore, as a settlement step, he encouraged the police, in this case the Criminal Investigation Department, to facilitate forensic examinations which were considered neutral.

He is of the view that the police can offer victims to choose a forensic expert whom they consider neutral and professional. The examinations carried out were visum et repertum, visum et repertum psychiatricum, and forensic psychology.

"What needs to be the concern of all parties, including the victim, is that all parties must consider the results of the independent examination as final and accepted by all parties fairly," he said.

This kind of examination, he said, had been carried out while on duty to investigate the cause of Pastor Yeremia's death in Intan Jaya, Papua, some time ago. The family refuses the examination if it is carried out by the police and prefers another forensic expert who is considered neutral.

"At that time the police granted the family's request," he said.

He stated that LPSK had been following this case since 2019. In sequence, he said that LPSK had received a request for protection from the victim on January 27, 2020.

LPSK responded by sending an investigation team to South Sulawesi exactly two days after LPSK received the request from the victim, namely January 29, 2020.

"We immediately met the victim, the victim's mother, coordinated with investigators at the East Luwu Police, and met the victim's attorney at the Makassar LBH Office, and communicated with the psychologist who had carried out psychological assessments for the three children," he said.

Furthermore, LPSK independently conducted a psychological examination of the victim and the victim's mother on February 19, 2020 in Makassar.

The reason for the examination in Makassar was at the request of the brothers and sisters who did not believe in the psychological examination in East Luwu.

Referring to the results of the examination, LPSK granted the application for protection on April 13, 2020 in the form of Fulfillment of Procedural Rights (PHP) and the provision of psychological assistance.

He said that, at that time, LPSK was still adamant in providing protection to the victim even though the investigation had been stopped.

"Through the PHP program, LPSK continues to monitor the development of cases by continuing to coordinate with the East Luwu Police, holding hearings with the South Sulawesi Police Chief, and having met with the deputy governor," he said.

Currently, he continued, LPSK has received a request for protection from the mother and three children. The basis for this request will be followed up by LPSK in coordination with the Indonesian Police Criminal Investigation Unit.