Most Rape Victims in Indonesia Choose to Stay Silent: Survey

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A survey on sexual abuses showed that 93 percent of victims of rape in Indonesia chose not to report the perpetrators.

The survey by Lentera Sintas Indonesia and Magdalene.com in cooperation with Change.org Indonesia said there were 1,636 respondents saying they had been forcefully raped but 93 percent of them decided to keep mum and not to file a report to police.

Among cases reported by few that decided to seek justice only one ended with the perpetrator punished by the court.

The rest were either ended with cases dropped by police, the suspect sent free, cases resolved peacefully, and the like, the survey said.

Chairman of National Commission Against the Use of Force on Women (National Commission on Women) Azriana R.M. said the data showed by the survey reflected that those victims had little confidence in the law enforcement agencies.

"This perhaps is caused by the minimum performance of the law enforcement agencies in investigating cases of sexual abuses. It carries a message strongly urging the law enforcement agencies to seriously investigate cases of sexual abuses and harassment, Azriana said.

The survey held in the whole month of June was aimed at seeing how serious sexual harassment in the country. It involved 25,213 anonymous respondents including 12,812 females, 12,389 males and 12 transgenders.

Around 37.87 percent of the respondents said they had suffered sexual abuses in various forms. They included 5,995 females (62.8 percent), 3,544 females (37.1 percent) and 10 transgenders (0.1 percent).

Ahead of the National Children Day on July 23, the survey said that 2 of 3 the victims of sexual abuses were of below 18 years in age.

Executive Director of Lentera Sintas Indonesia Wulan Danoekoesoemo, an anti sexual abuses organization, said the result of the survey is expected to give stronger motive to eliminate sexual abuses in this country.

Desmarita Murni, Communications Director of Change.org Indonesia, said almost 70 percent of the respondents were below 35 years in age, indicating that the concern shown by the public especially young age people those is relatively high about sexual abuses in the country.

ANTARA