TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has called on the people to jointly eradicate sexual harassment and violence against children by building the nation's character.

"The character building in human resources, community, and the nation becomes a very important effort to avoid the crime," Jokowi stated in a press release of the Deputy of Protocol, Press and Media of Presidential Secretariat, Bey Machmudin, received on Tuesday.

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The president delivered the statement after inaugurating the Saina Reservoir in Rote Ndao District of East Nusa Tenggara Province.

Jokowi stated that the sexual violence against children often happens as a negative impact of irresponsible digital technology uses.

"The technology, unwittingly, has intervened in the people's characters indirectly," he told the media in East Nusa Tenggara.

The president remarked that he had entrusted the law to judge and impose sanction on the perpetrators.

"We will punish the perpetrators according to the applicable law. There is also an option to create a deterrent effect on perpetrators. We have entrusted the law court to judge the incident," Jokowi revealed.

Previously, several cases of sexual violence to children had occurred in Tangerang of Banten Province, which was carried out by a teacher on 41 children.

Besides, police also investigated an adult video showing sexual coercion on children in Bandung City of West Java Province.

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The Social Ministry noted that the total cases of sexual harassment and violence against children had increased in 2017.

Compared to 2016, the total cases increased from 1,956 to 2,117 in 2017.

ANTARA