Latest Facts in the Child Abuse Case at Little Aresha Daycare

The case of abuse and inhumane treatment of children at the Little Aresha daycare, located in Sorosutan, Umbulharjo, Yogyakarta City, is currently under intense public scrutiny.

This heinous act came to light following a police raid on Friday (24/4). During the raid, conditions of the toddlers were found to be far from acceptable.

CNNIndonesia.com has compiled several facts behind the child abuse case at Little Aresha Daycare in Jogja:

Children tied from morning until picked up by parents

Babies and toddlers entrusted to Little Aresha Daycare were tied at their hands and feet from the moment they arrived in the morning.

The Head of Criminal Investigation at Yogyakarta Police Resort, Commissioner Riski Adrian, revealed that this inhumane action was not a punishment but claimed as a routine ‘child-rearing method’ applied at the facility.

Adrian explained that the children were left tied throughout the day until pickup time. The ties were only removed at certain moments, particularly as a ruse to deceive the victims’ parents.

“Yes, [tied immediately upon being dropped off]. Then, before eating, they are dressed and photographed for documentation sent to the guardians,” Adrian stated at the Yogyakarta Police Resort Headquarters on Monday (26/4).

“At most, during bathing or eating time, they are untied,” he added.

This cruelty was further corroborated by medical examination results. Examination of three children showed scrape marks on their wrists and ankles identical to those from tight bindings.

Based on the suspects’ confessions, the excuse behind this cruel act was a shortage of caregivers disproportionate to the number of entrusted children. Adrian noted that in one shift, there were only two to four caregivers handling the burden of around 20 children at once.

“From the perpetrators’ statements, they have two people, the missus, handling up to twenty people,” Adrian said.

“They struggle with tasks like bathing, dressing, and so on, so they were ordered to commit these inhumane acts,” he continued.

Foundation chair and headmistress who ordered babies tied

Police revealed that the foundation chair and the daycare headmistress are strongly suspected of being the main actors who instructed various inhumane actions against the entrusted children.

The foundation chair, initialled DK, and the headmistress, initialled AP, gave these torture orders to the caregivers solely through verbal instructions.

“There are no written rules or procedures for (inhumane child handling), but from the statements of the eleven caregiver suspects, they were ordered to do so by the foundation chair. It’s not in the SOP; it was conveyed verbally,” Adrian said.

“[AP’s role] is the same, because the foundation chair and headmistress are always present every morning and they directly see the caregivers doing this to the children. So they know and order it,” he added.

Even more heartbreakingly, Adrian stated that these unreasonable instructions were not new. The directives for inhumane child handling had apparently been passed down through generations to previous caregivers who worked at the daycare.

As previously revealed by the police, one form of inhumane treatment instructed verbally by the leaders was tying the entrusted children there.

Foundation advisor is active UGM lecturer

Gadjah Mada University (UGM) confirmed that the Advisor to the Little Aresha Daycare Foundation, Cahyaningrum Dewojati, holds the status of an active lecturer at the university.

This clarification was issued following the widespread circulation of the academic’s name and photo on social media recently.

“Regarding information stating that the Advisor to the Little Aresha Daycare Foundation in Yogyakarta is one of our university lecturers, we can confirm that the individual is indeed an active lecturer involved in managing the daycare in a personal capacity,” said UGM Spokesperson, I Made Andi Arsana, in his statement on Monday.

No operating permit

Yogyakarta Mayor Hasto Wardoyo stated that the childcare facility does not hold an operating permit.

“As happened recently, there is no permit, only the foundation, but no permit. No permit as a childcare centre (TPA), no permit as early childhood education (PAUD) or kindergarten,” Hasto explained when met after attending an event in Yogyakarta City.

KPAI demands permanent closure

In response to the series of horrifying findings at the facility, the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) firmly urged that Little Aresha Daycare be closed permanently.

“KPAI hopes for protection from the Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK) because some families of the victim children have been approached by unknown individuals. And of course, KPAI hopes this daycare is closed permanently,” said KPAI Commissioner Diyah Puspitarini on Monday (27/4).

Furthermore, KPAI encouraged the Yogyakarta City Government to immediately conduct a comprehensive evaluation of daycare management in the area. This preventive step must include re-registration of operational permit eligibility and massive guidance to all childcare managers.

“Some problematic daycares handled by KPAI indeed operate purely for business orientation without regard for rules, let alone establishment permits. And usually, such daycares also ignore the surrounding community, without permission from community figures or village officials. According to regulations, establishment requires permission from the local education department and city/district government,” Diyah explained.

In particular, Diyah views the violence and neglect at Little Aresha as having a far more systematic pattern.

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