Cluster Of Religious Predators: Moral Fortress Can't Stop Degrading Behavior?

Illustration (Source: Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The case of the molestation of dozens of children by a retired BUMN who became a Koran teacher was like a slap in the face to many people. Because a similar case had just happened six days earlier. Clusters of sexual violence by religious leaders continue to emerge. How did it happen?

The case of a retired Koran teacher from a state-owned company who allegedly sodomized 14 students who were still underage, was crowded in public spaces. "There were children who were sodomized from 9 to 11 years old, from the victim's confession there were also dozens of children who he sodomized," said Head of the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Padang Police, Kompol Rico Fernanda, on November 21, quoted by CNNIndonesia.

The discovery of this case began with one of the victim's parents who knew about the perpetrator's actions. Before this news reached the police, the old man reported it to the head of the local RT. Temporary investigations suspect the number of victims reached 14 people. But so far only three victims have reported to the police.

According to the police, the modus operandi of the perpetrators is to lure the victim by lending her a smartphone, buy food, and even take the victim for a walk. The alleged perpetrator, according to the police, is a retired state-owned company since October 2021. He was later known as a teacher of the children's Koran.

This case occurred about six days after the Tulungagung Police, East Java, announced that a Koran teacher with the initials NK was accused of molesting several of his female students. This depraved behavior he did when teaching the prayers of his satriwati.

"Like prostration or bowing, he holds the buttocks to direct the prayer movement," said Head of the Women and Children Protection Unit of the Tulungagung Police Iptu Retno Pujiarsih on November 15. According to him, the accused admitted to touching the victim's buttocks and thighs.

It is difficult to say that the number of violence or sexual harassment by religious leaders is small. The proof is that reports of obscenity committed by religious leaders often appear.

Illustration (Source: Pixabay)

Another cluster

Another cluster of religious leaders who sexually abused children was carried out by a school principal who is also a Protestant pastor in Medan. Thoughts reported last April, there were 6 female students who accused him of sexual harassment.

The mother of one of the victims said her 13-year-old daughter had been taken to the hotel 4 times since the age of 11. It was there that it was suspected that the religious leaders carried out their depraved actions.

"My daughter said her principal told other staff that she would train karate outside the school grounds," said the victim, who was not identified. "When he got to the hotel, he took off his clothes and closed his eyes and forced him to have oral sex."

A similar case also happened to the Catholic monk Brother Angelo. In September 2019, Angelo was reported to the police by alleged victims of abuse.

However, as quoted by Kompas, Angelo was only detained for three months in prison. The reason is that the police are unable to complete the case examination documents and take the case to court.

Reportedly, Angelo had established an orphanage and a foundation called Fajar Cahaya Harapan which was registered at the ministry on April 14, 2020. The public also urged the Depok Metro Police to reopen the case. Finally, on September 7, 2020, the legal team assisted the complainant to make a new report.

Illustration (Source: Antara)

Sex predators on the rise

According to data from the Child Protection Commission (KPAI) received by VOI, during January-September 2021, there were at least 5,206 case complaints related to the Fulfillment of Children's Rights and Child Special Protection (PKA). In the PKA data, the KPAI recorded the number of cases of child victims of sexual crimes reaching 672 cases and victims of physical and/or psychological violence as many as 955 cases.

In particular, KPAI also includes cases of violence against children committed by religious leaders into the PKA data. "In particular, cases of violence against children committed by religious leaders are included in the special protection data for children," KPAI Commissioner Jasra Putra told VOI.

Jasra said that during this pandemic situation cases of child abuse continued to increase. "In fact, there are quite a number of victims, for example we have cases in Padang City, cases in Medan, and including the case of Bruther Angelo who molested foster children in an orphanage in Depok City."

According to Jasra, this is a challenge for childcare institutions such as Islamic boarding schools, orphanages, and other childcare institutions to be more child-friendly and strongly committed to child protection. Because if you don't, the potential for violence or sexual crimes will always be a scourge.

Jasra believes that one of the factors that causes sexual violence is power relations. No doubt, if cases like this can take a very long time to be revealed because the victim feels so threatened.

"This extraordinary power relationship is sometimes used by perpetrators of child sexual crimes to threaten and lure victims into committing crimes against children. The models and modes of crimes against children in various religious environments often take a long time to be known. is under threat," said Jasra.

Another factor causing cases like this, said Jasra, is due to the pattern of recruitment of religious officers or teachers who are not strict in various religious education institutions or care institutions. "So it is difficult for us to know their track record... In fact, this is important considering that child protection is their responsibility in terms of parenting and includes the roles of parents in maintaining the safety of their children."

When it comes to human resources, it may be difficult to believe a religious leader, who in fact better understands what is right and wrong, to the point of committing such a depraved act. But in fact, that assumption is not very valid. Why is that?

Crime factor

To answer that question, VOI asked Suprapto, a sociologist who has studied crime from Gadjah Mada University, Suprapto. According to him, crime, including sexual crimes, does not basically recognize social structures.

"So from the top layer to the bottom, there are always criminal acts. The potential to act irresponsibly is always there," said Suprapto.

Sigmund Freud, said Suprapto, said that humans have a tendency to act irresponsibly. "But it doesn't always come to the surface."

According to Suprapto, there are three things that act as brakes so that the tendency to do evil does not arise. The first is culture, social values, and social norms.

However, if the brakes or social control are weakened, then crime is very likely to emerge. The driving factor is because there is intention and opportunity.

"But this censorship or social control sometimes weakens, so the formula N+KS=KJ appears. N is intention, KS is opportunity, KJ is crime," Suprapto explained.

Another theory that can explain why a public figure such as a religious leader can commit a crime is because of the illegal abuses of public power. In other words, people who have power - also known as power relations - actually have the possibility to take actions against the law.

"So a criminal act was committed because he felt he had public power, which is possible that people might not believe, that this person who is a public figure, how can he do something like that [against the law]. In the hope that people will not believe it," Suprapto explained. Then what is the role of religion?

The role of religion

Suprapto said that religious values remain a fortress for a person not to act against the law. But being smart from a spiritual point of view is not enough, Suprapto said.

"Perhaps, his intellectual intelligence IQ is good, spiritual intelligence SQ is good, because as a religious figure. But his emotional intelligence EQ, could be at level 1. It means that he only understands himself," said Suprapto.

Whereas according to Suprapto, level two intelligence, namely self-control, is important. "So when there are desires to do irresponsible things, harassment or violence, he is not able to control them."

"Even though he actually has strong religious values, he was broken by his emotional intelligence, which was at a low level," concluded Suprapto.

*Read more information about SEXUAL HARASSMENT, read another interesting article from Ramdan Febrian Arifin.

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