DPR Member Demands Maximum Sentence for Woman's Captor in Bandung

A member of Commission III of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR), Abdullah, has urged the police to immediately arrest and process TH, the man suspected of involvement in the kidnapping, confinement, and torture of a woman identified as YTR over a three-year period in Bandung, West Java. He stated that the perpetrator must face layered charges given the severity of the suffering endured by the victim. The perpetrator is currently still at large and being pursued by the police. “Law enforcement must be carried out to the maximum extent to provide justice for the victim and a deterrent effect for the perpetrator,” Abdullah said in a statement in Jakarta on Sunday. Based on police information, he said, the victim is believed to have suffered various forms of violence resulting in serious head injuries, severe visual impairment, wounds on the body from sharp objects, burn scars, and damage to her lips. He assessed that the victim’s ordeal likely began with coercive control, a pattern of domination over a partner carried out gradually until the victim loses independence and freedom. The perpetrator, he said, typically starts by isolating the victim from her social environment, excessively monitoring communications, and employing intimidation, threats, and physical violence to create economic dependency. He also reminded women to increase their vigilance if a partner begins to display excessively controlling behaviour. “If these symptoms start to appear, immediately seek help, cut off contact, and report to family or law enforcement officials,” Abdullah said. He further urged members of the public or families who are aware of or suspect violence against women to report it to the police immediately so that handling can be carried out more quickly. “This case shows that violence against women does not always begin with physical blows, but often starts with excessive control, social isolation, and psychological manipulation,” he stated. Previously, the West Java Regional Office of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights coordinated with various parties, including the Regional Technical Implementation Unit under the West Java Office of Women’s Empowerment, Child Protection, and Family Planning, to seek funding for the victim’s medical care through the Witness and Victim Protection Agency. In addition to safeguarding the fulfilment of the victim’s rights, the West Java Ministry of Law and Human Rights office is also pushing for legal proceedings in accordance with applicable regulations and urging the public to increase awareness of potential violence in their surroundings.