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he National Commission for Child Protection (Komnas PA) has urged the police not to issue investigation termination warrants (SP3) in the alleged sexual assault of an intern by three civil servants and continue the investigation into the case.

Komnas PA’s chairman, Aries Merdeka Sirait, said on Wednesday that it was unwise for the police to issue the SP3 merely based on information discrepancies between the victim, suspects and witnesses.

“The police should not only underscore the investigation based on information, but also vital evidence, which includes the victim’s underwear and the suspects’ [use of] anesthetic,” he said.

Aries recommended that the police refer to hospitals with better DNA-testing capacities, not simply rely on the Bhayangkara National Police Hospital and Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital.

Komnas PA organized on Wednesday a confidential in-depth interview with the victim and her mother at the commission’s office.

“My daughter suffered a serious trauma,” said the victim’s mother.

Komnas PA’s psychologist, Imaculata “Ima” Umiyati confirmed the victim’s condition. “Whenever it was 12 p.m., which was when the assault occurred on Aug. 3, she acted like she was in shock.”

Ima added that the commission would strive to provide the 17-year-old with psychosocial therapy, but it was likely the victim would be traumatized for years to come.

“We’ll do our best, but from our experience, cases like this always have a permanent imprint on one’s mind,” she said.

The incident allegedly took place in a vacant room on the sixth floor of the Central Jakarta mayor’s office. The victim said that two civil servants — identified only as Y and H — approached her as she was looking at her cell phone and smothered her nose and mouth until she lost consciousness. The victim was then allegedly raped by the third civil servant, identified only as AA.

Earlier police said they would halt the investigation if they did not find strong evidence in the case.

In the preliminary investigation, based on the CCTV recordings, police said the man accused of raping the intern, was not in the building at the time of the alleged rape.

The victim’s legal representative, Herbert Aritonang, said he would seek more new evidence as he found some problems with the CCTV. “The CCTV on the sixth floor only monitors one elevator, even though there are two elevators there,” he said.

Herbert said he would go to the crime scene to seek more information about whether the CCTV was functioning properly or not. “We will work harder to provide more convincing evidence,” he said.

Police say they have not decided to stop the investigation into the case. Jakarta Police spokesperson, Sr. Comr. Awi Setiyono, said on Wednesday that the police would take some measures as a result of contradictions in statements by witnesses, the alleged perpetrators and the victim.

“The investigators will call on an expert from Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital about the forensic test results,” he told to The Jakarta Post.

He said the police would also check on the girl’s psychological state at the Integrated Service Center for Women and Children.

Meanwhile, Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama said that he noted the police’s findings and had confidence in the relevant authorities. “However, regardless of the finding, any civil servants caught committing crimes will definitely be fired,” Ahok said.

He further said that he understood the parents’ move to report the case to Komnas PA and, hence, would not hinder them from proceeding with it. (sha/adt)