Rising public concern over gang-rape cases that have come to light recently has led to a call from mental health experts for an emphasis on character building from early childhood to prevent deviant behavior in later life.

"Although peer pressure is common among children, what happened was [caused by] conduct disorders. Such acts could lead to psychopathic behavior in the future," child and adolescent psychiatrist Suzy Yusna Dewi told thejakartapost.com. The doctor was speaking about the case in Bengkulu where 14 adolescents raped and killed a teenage girl. 

Gang rape and murder cases across the nation catapulted into the media spotlight following the death of a 14-year old schoolgirl named Yuyun. Her tragic story has captured the world's attention and brought the battle against sexual violence to the forefront of Indonesia’s public sphere.

With several more cases revealed afterward, sexual violence, and specifically gang rape and murder involving children as both victims and perpetrators, has given rise to questions about children's upbringing. 

Suzy said that from a very young age children must be instilled with self-confidence and taught how to control their emotions, both of which are equally important as stepping stones to developing mature problem-solving skills in life. This is important for children’s ability to differentiate between right and wrong despite peer pressure, she added.

Referring to the case of the 14 young men who consecutively took turns in raping the teenage girl until she died, Suzy said group dynamics had played an important part.   

In such cases, the perpetrators took on two roles, namely the provocateur and the follower, said Suzy. 

In these cases, there is always a lead figure who is feared and followed by the rest of the group, she added. 

In this case, Suzy continued, the followers lacked problem-solving skills, were impulsive and did not have the capacity to think about the consequences of their actions. 

This psychological condition contributes to lack of individual regret, or even a lack of understanding that their acts were wrong, she added. 

The psychiatrist went on to say that from early childhood, kids need to learn to see the chain reaction of their actions from beginning to end and understand the positive and negative consequences of their choices. 

Further, Suzy expressed disagreement about the imprisonment of the convicted rapists, saying that jail would only exacerbate criminal tendencies. She said the prison environment would make the convicts more vulnerable to acts of sexual violence from fellow inmates. 

"It would be better for them to enter rehab, and to be assessed and evaluated as part of their treatment," Suzy said.  

Clinical and forensic psychologist Kasandra Putranto also expressed the necessity for research into the psychological profiles of the 14 men, seven of whom are underage, to find out the group dynamics.

"What we are doing now is merely assuming. We need to look at the cause to see how their mentality was shaped in such a way that teenage boys, who at their age should be sweet children focusing on study, prayer, meeting friends, were capable of such brutal acts," Kasandra said. 

Referring to an example of a case where two children of a similar age displayed opposite behavior - in that they successfully foiled a rape and stood up to perpetrators in defense of the victim - Kasandra said there needed to be further research into the psychodynamics of an individual that could lead to such contrasting behaviors. 

She emphasized the importance of comprehensive action to address the causes of sexual assault, including mental education within the family regarding influencing behavior, as well as overcoming cultural practices that had a negative impact.

According to Kasandra, parents especially play a major role developing the character of a child.

"Talk about values to the children to teach them to respect themselves and others. Every mother should teach their son to respect women - to respect their mom and therefore have respect for other women," she said. 

Further, Kasandra also called for sex education to be accompanied by moral education. 

Children need to have a healthy understanding of sex, she continued, adding that they need to be taught that such intimacy should be valued within a marriage bond. 

"Cultural practices such as haphazardly 'marrying kids off' (kawinkan saja), which is still common in underprivileged areas, doesn't actually put a stop to reckless sexual urges," Kasandra said.

Standard community practices also need to be positive to contribute to positive character building, she added. (dan)