Police withdraw from Jakarta's test plan on rape victims

Jakarta Police announced Thursday they have withdrawn from the city administration’s plan to conduct physical screening of street children across Jakarta to determine whether they have suffered sexual abuse.

Jakarta Police detective chief Sr. Comr. Idham Aziz said there had been a “mistake in communication and understanding” about the plan.

“If other government institutions decide to go on with the plan, we hereby declare we are not involved,” he was quoted as saying by kompas.com.

Following the recent uproar over a brace of child sex abuse and mutilation cases, the police and social services agency were reported to conduct physical examinations of children on Thursday.

Social Services Agency head Budihardjo said Wednesday that 500 officials from his agency, the city police and the public order agency would be deployed to hold the tests.

The plan, however, has drawn the ire of child rights activists. National Commission for Child Protection secretary-general Arist Merdeka Sirait slammed the exercise as “a violation of the children’s rights”.