Indonesian Military Ends Virginity Test on Recruitment Process

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Army (TNI AD) Chief of Staff Gen. Andika Perkasa said his institution has ceased the virginity tests in the recruitment process for female recruits. He said the revised regulation was part of the improvement of the army’s selection process, particularly in the health sector.

“It is for health purposes. First, in order to prevent an incident that takes a life,” said Andika in a video received by Tempo on Wednesday, August 11. 

Another reason, he added, was to prevent the spread of infectious diseases and possible serious infections that may cause organ failure during exercises.

Presently, the military no longer performed such vaginal and cervical tests. “But examinations on external genitalia still take place without involving a certain test on the cervix and vagina,” Andika explained.

He also said other tests such as the checks on the hymen of female recruits were also scrapped.

The military also revised the rules on color blind tests and the spine and heart tests for male and female recruits. TNI now used two measuring tools for the blind test, namely the Ishihara test and the Hardy-Rand-Rittler or HRR test. “To carry out a more thorough test,” Andika said.

Read also: Police Members Reportedly Beat Papuan Following TNI Violence Case

ANDITA RAHMA