Child Predators In Orphanages Are Barbaric, There Must Be A Weight Of Punishment

Photo by Alex Muromtsev on Unsplash

JAKARTA - Member of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Selly Andriany Change, criticized the actions of the Darussalam An'Nur Foundation Orphanage in Kunciran Indah, Tangerang City, which sexually abused a number of his foster children. He also asked that these sexual predators receive maximum punishment with weight.

"Indeed, the actions of the perpetrators are barbaric! They must be punished severely," said Selly Andriany Change, Friday, October 11.

As is known, the Chairman of the Darussalam Foundation Orphanage Foundation An'Nu, Sudirman (49) and the 2 orphanage caregivers, namely Yusuf Bahtiar (30) and Yandi Supriyadi (28) were named as suspects of sexual violence for committing sexual abuse against a number of foster children.

Sudirman and Yusuf have been arrested, while Yandi is still being hunted by the police and is now on the DPO (People Search List). It is known that there have been 8 victims of sexual abuse of child predators at the Kunciran Orphanage. The current number of victims is 8 people, all of whom are male. Of the 8 victims, 5 people are children and 3 are adults.

Selly also supports the police who ensnared the predators by Law 12 of 2022 concerning the Crime of Sexual Violence (TPKS Law).

"Through the TPKS Law, maximum entanglement can be given to perpetrators of child predators," he said.

Selly assessed that the TPKS Law, which was completed through the role of Puan Maharani as Chair of the DPR in 2022, is the strongest rule.

"Because it not only ensnares the perpetrator, but the institution that handles it," said Selly.

This means, said Selly, that the Orphanage in Tangerang can be processed legally starting from the permit and the law and impoverishing the perpetrators through the confiscation of their assets by showing their identities.

"Thus, the perpetrators are not only subject to legal sanctions but social sanctions from the community. Their faces are in digital traces in the media," said the legislator from the Javanese electoral district, Bara VIII.

"Meanwhile, the victim gets strong legal protection and is covered with identity and gets mental rehabilitation assistance," continued Selly.

The perpetrators are suspected of violating Article 6 of the TPKS Law with a threat of 12 years in prison. In addition, the police charged the perpetrators with Article 76E and 76I in conjunction with Article 82 of Law Number 17 of 2016 concerning Child Protection and/or Article 289 of the Criminal Code. The threat of punishment in Article 76E of the Child Protection Law is a maximum of 15 years in prison.

Selly, who in the previous DPR period served in Commission VIII with the field of work related to child protection, also encouraged law enforcement to give punishment to the perpetrators considering the status of the suspects who were the caregivers of the victims.

"In Article 82 paragraph 2 of the Child Protection Law, it is firm in regulating that criminal acts of sexual violence against children committed by childcare have been increased by adding 1/3 to the sentence," he said.

The following is the article referred to by Selly:

In the event of a criminal act as referred to in paragraph (1), it is carried out by parents, guardians, people who have family relationships, caregivers, educators, education staff, officers who handle child protection, or are carried out by more than one person together, the sentence is added 1 death penalty (a third) of the criminal threat as referred to in paragraph (1).

"I hope that law enforcers can provide the maximum threat of punishment. So that there is a deterrent effect so that a similar incident will not happen again in the future," said Selly.

So far the police have obtained data on 18 children being treated at the Kunciran Orphanage, of which 2 are still Toddlers. Police are still investigating the possibility of other victims from the suspects.

Selly appreciated the swift steps taken by the Tangerang Metro Police who were alert and exposed this case after receiving information via Instagram direct message (DM).

Dan saya berharap pihak kepolisian dapat mengusut tuntas kasus ini. Tidak hanya segera menangkap satu pelaku yang DPO, tapi juga mendata secara tebeteran korban sehingga bisa diberikan pendampingan,harap mantan Wakil Bupati Cirebon tersebut.

Furthermore, Selly said that the case at Kunciran Indah Orphanage must be a lesson for all parties. He emphasized that there should be no room whatsoever for sexual violence, especially in children.

"This case can be a lesson and a warning for anyone in this Republic to respect women and children, not to let violence, harassment, or anything like happen again," said Selly.

On the other hand, Selly also emphasized the importance of improving government regulations to ensure that all orphanage foundations are registered and have operational permits.

"This incident is not only a form of abuse against children's rights, but also shows serious weaknesses in the regulation and supervision of orphanages and institutions that accommodate children," he explained.

Although currently the Government has sealed the orphanage and transferred foster children and victims to the Social Protection House (RPS), Selly also asked for legal steps in terms of administration to continue.

The weakness of the verification mechanism and the lack of regular supervision make orphanages vulnerable to exploitation and violation of children's rights. So there must be strict sanctions from every violation in the form of the institution's operational closure," said Selly.

To prevent similar incidents from happening in the future, Selly asked the government to tighten supervision at every orphanage foundation, including by periodically checking the operations of orphanages that accommodate children.

"The government must ensure that the founders and managers of these institutions have no criminal records, especially those related to violence and abuse of children," he explained.

"And make sure every human resource that manages parenting and child education has passed psychological tests and has clear certification, and does not have a bad track record. This is for the safety and comfort of our children as the next generation of the nation," concluded Selly.