Daycare Little Aresha Charges Rp1-1.5 Million per Child
Police have revealed the fee structure imposed by Little Aresha Daycare for childminding services. The facility was previously raided following viral allegations of child abuse and neglect.
Yogyakarta Police Resort’s Criminal Investigation Unit Head, Riski Adrian, stated that the daycare charged between Rp1 million and Rp1.5 million per month, depending on the package.
“(The packages) include full seven days, up to Saturday, up to Friday, from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m., from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.—all sorts of packages like that,” Adrian explained on Monday (27/4).
Meanwhile, the salaries of employees or caregivers there varied between Rp1.8 million and Rp2.4 million.
Adrian suggested that the alleged child abuse and mistreatment case might have been motivated by economic factors.
Adrian noted that the foundation head, initialled DK, and the school principal, AP, instructed caregivers at Little Aresha Daycare to use inhumane childcare methods.
According to Adrian, these instructions for inhumane handling had been passed down through generations or already directed to previous generations of caregivers working at Little Aresha.
One inhumane act uncovered by police was tying the children there. Visum results on three children showed injuries on their wrists and ankles, strongly suspected to be binding marks.
Adrian said the children were immediately tied at their hands and feet from the morning drop-off until picked up by their parents later. The bindings were removed during bathing, eating, or when caregivers sent reports to parents.
Based on the suspects’ statements, these methods were not implemented as punishment but due to the imbalance between the number of caregivers and entrusted children. Adrian stated that two to four caregivers per shift had to care for at least 20 children.
“Yes, as conveyed by the Police Resort Chief, it’s true—very true that the economic motive is at play. Because how can one person look after seven to eight children,” Adrian said.
“That means they should have limited it, limited the intake. From the parents’ statements as well, they were promised one ‘miss’ (caregiver) for two to three children. But they kept accepting more, which clearly means they were seeking profit,” he added.
Police have named a total of 13 suspects in the alleged child abuse and neglect case at Little Aresha Daycare in Umbulharjo, Yogyakarta City, DIY.
The suspects include the foundation head initialled DK and school principal AP. Additionally, FN, NF, LIS, EN, SRM, DR, HP, JA, SRJ, DO, and DM, who acted as caregivers. Meanwhile, the number of child victims is suspected to reach 53.
According to police statements, DK and AP played roles in instructing caregivers to treat the children inhumanely, such as binding their wrists and ankles from morning until pickup by parents.
The orders were not given as punishment for the children but due to a shortage of caregiving staff at the daycare. Police noted that 2-4 caregivers per shift had to manage at least 20 children.
Investigators will apply corporate articles, namely Article 76A in conjunction with Article 77, or Article 76B in conjunction with Article 77B, or Article 76C in conjunction with Article 80 of Law No. 35 of 2014 on Child Protection in conjunction with Articles 20 and 21 of Law No. 1 of 2023 on the Criminal Code.
These articles relate to alleged criminal acts of discriminatory treatment of children, or placing, allowing, involving, or ordering the involvement of children in situations of improper treatment, neglect, or violence against children. The penalty is 5 to 8 years’ imprisonment.