Rini, who on July 10 attempted to commit suicide by jumping from a footbridge in Depok, West Java, revealed that she had been sexually and physically abused in the past year by a man with whom she lived.

Rini told kompas.com she lived with the man, identified only as MS, after her mother asked him to look after her. MS, whom she believed to be her mother’s friend, is an angkot (public minivan) driver serving the route between Depok and Kampung Rambutan in East Jakarta.

Instead of taking care of his friend’s daughter, MS allegedly assaulted Rini both sexually and physically.

“MS took me in and we lived together behind a school. My mother trusted MS too much. While in fact MS was very mean to me. I don’t understand why my mother ‘gave’ me to him,” she said on Friday.

According to her account, MS frequently raped her while they lived under the same roof. He also allegedly sold Rini to some of his close friends, forcing Rini to have sex with them. MS usually hit her with a belt if she rejected his demands, she said.

Adding to such ordeals, Rini said MS also often forced her to consume and sell narcotics.

“He threatened me. He said that if I refused, he would hurt my mother. He knew that I really love my mother, so he always used her to threaten me,” she said.

“My body is full of narcotics. It’s all because of MS. I’m tired of my life. I could only pray,” she added, noting that she wished to reunite with her mother and looked forward to seeing MS sent to jail.

On Friday evening, the Depok police managed to arrest MS and his friend, identified as AS. The two were arrested in separate locations. MS was caught at a rented house adjacent to a train station, while AS was nabbed while driving an angkot on the same route as MS’.

Depok Police spokesperson Adj. Comr. Firdaus said the two had been tested positive for narcotics.

“The victim also tested positive for methamphetamine and amphetamine,” he said. “We are still interrogating the suspects and seeking other witnesses in the case.”

However, MS denied he knew Rini’s mother. He claimed that he and Rini met at Depok bus terminal.

“There is no connection whatsoever. I don’t know her mother. She was lost, I rescued her. I invited her to live with me and she liked following me driving the angkot,” MS said, claiming that he neither sold Rini to his friends nor forced her to consume meth.

“I was rescuing her,” he insisted.

The Depok Police’s women and children protection unit chief Adj. Comr. Ujang said Tuesday that the police were still developing the case.

“We are still looking for more witnesses who are close with the victim,” he told The Jakarta Post through a text message.

Adding to that, Depok Police deputy chief Sr. Adj. Comr. Arya Perdana said the police would summon Rini’s mother to be questioned.

“According to the victim’s account, there is a link [between the mother] and the suspects. But we are still developing the case. The victim is still in trauma,” he said.

Through the Depok Child Protection and People and Family Empowerment Agency (PAPMK), the authorities have ensured that Rini will receive treatment to heal her trauma from the abuse she endured since last year.

Depok PAPMK head Nessi Annisa Handari said the agency would provide assistance until Rini got better.

“Our team of psychologists will work to restore her mental condition. She appears to be suffering from depression,” Nessi said on Monday as quoted by kompas.com.

“Rini is currently being treated in Depok. We have worked with the [Depok] Social Agency. They have facilitated our request so far,” she added.

Rini is now staying at Rumah Aman Depok, a shelter for the victims of sexual assault under the management of the Social Agency and the Children Protection, Empowerment and Population Control Agency.

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