Child sexual violence: KPPPA emphasises safeguarding victims' identities

Jakarta — The Minister for Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection, Arifah Fauzi, emphasised the importance of protecting the confidentiality of the identity of child victims of violence and cautioned all parties to be careful when disseminating information, particularly videos or content that could reveal the child’s identity.

‘Protection of a child’s identity is part of safeguarding the victim from stigma, social pressure, and long-term trauma. A digital footprint can endure for a very long time and may cause psychological impacts on the child in the future. Therefore, we also urge that content that could reveal the victim’s identity be reported promptly for removal from digital platforms,’ said Minister for Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Arifah Fauzi in a statement in Jakarta on Sunday.

She made the remarks in response to a suspected case of sexual violence against an eight-year-old girl in Asahan Regency, North Sumatra.

The Ministry continues to coordinate with law enforcement agencies as well as local authorities to ensure that the handling of the case proceeds in accordance with legal provisions and the best interests of the child.

This effort also includes meeting the victim’s rights to comprehensive counselling and recovery services.

‘The handling of cases like this is not only focused on the legal process against the perpetrator, but also ensuring that the victim receives psychological counselling, social support, and legal aid so that the recovery process can proceed optimally,’ said Arifatul Choiri Fauzi.

The case was first brought to the mother’s attention after she received information from the victim’s friend. The mother then gathered information from her child and subsequently reported the incident to the police on 13 October 2025.

The alleged perpetrator is accused of violating Article 76E in conjunction with Article 82(1) of Law Number 17 of 2016 concerning the Establishment of Perpu Number 1 of 2016 on the Second Amendment to Law Number 23 of 2002 on Child Protection, carrying a maximum penalty of 15 years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to Rp5 billion.

The suspect has now been named as a suspect and is in police custody.