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Young mother's 'murder' raises issue of support for domestic abuse victims
The viral case of a young mother of two who allegedly died at the hands of her abusive husband has again put the spotlight on the lack of formal support for victims of domestic abuse, including focused training on law enforcement response to victims of abuse.
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Illustration of police tape sealing off a crime scene (Shutterstock/-)
T
he suspected murder of a young mother whose initial report of domestic violence was reportedly rejected by the police has sparked criticisms over law enforcement’s treatment of domestic abuse reports and the government’s lack of support for victims of abuse.
Mega Suryani Dewi, 24, was found dead on Sept. 10 at her rented house in Bekasi, West Java. Her 25-year-old husband Nando turned himself in to the police, admitting that he had killed his wife with a knife following a quarrel.
Nando is alleged to have hit his wife multiple times during their argument, which reportedly occurred while their two young children were at home.
The violent argument was apparently not the first to occur between the couple, and Mega’s brother Deden Suryana told the press that his sister had previously reported Nando to police for domestic abuse.
Deden claimed that the police did not follow up on Mega’s complaint and had dismissed it after Nando told them that his wife had returned home and the pair had reconciled following the reported quarrel.
The Bekasi Police denied dropping the complaint, saying instead that Mega had not responded to their summons to follow up on her complaint because she could not take time off from work.
“The victim also told us that she was planning to drop the charges because she had reconciled with her husband,” Bekasi Police criminal investigation chief Comr. Gogo Galesung said recently, as quoted by Tribunnews.com.
