MP Highlights Psychological Impact on Victims of Daycare Violence
A member of Commission IX of the House of Representatives (DPR), Arzeti Bilbina, stated that acts of violence against young children are dangerous to their psyche and development. This statement responds to allegations of abuse carried out by Daycare Little Aresha in Yogyakarta City against 53 children.
According to her, acts of violence against young children have the potential to leave deep trauma. This trauma is feared to disrupt the child’s development in the long term.
Arzeti encourages the victims of the alleged violence at Daycare Little Aresha to receive intensive support from professionals such as psychologists or child counsellors.
“Psychological impacts such as excessive fear, sleep disturbances, and decreased self-confidence can hinder the emotional and cognitive development of victims if not addressed immediately,” she said in a written statement on Monday, 27 April 2026.
This member of the commission handling health and child protection also stated that the role of parents is crucial in restoring the child’s sense of security. Especially after the child victims experienced abuse from the childcare facility.
Arzeti urges the government to evaluate the standard operating procedures for all daycares in Indonesia. The government, she said, also needs to tighten supervision to prevent acts of violence against children from occurring in other daycares.
“The state must be present to ensure maximum protection for children from all forms of violence. Perpetrators must be given firm sanctions,” said Arzeti.
Commissioner of the Indonesian Child Protection Commission or KPAI, Diyah Puspitarini, said that the pattern of abuse allegedly occurring at Daycare Little Aresha in Yogyakarta is systematic. According to her, there is a kind of standard operating procedure applied where children at certain times have their legs or hands tied.
Parents, she said, are also prohibited from directly seeing the childcare patterns for children at certain times. “And it is carried out massively by caregivers, so it seems there is such an instruction (to carry out violence),” she said on Sunday, 26 April 2026.
Yogyakarta Police have named 13 suspects consisting of one foundation head, one school head, and eleven caregivers.
Yogyakarta Police Chief, Commissioner General of Police Eva Guna Pandia, explained that the suspects are charged under child protection laws for alleged neglect and discriminatory mistreatment.
“There are 53 toddlers under the age of two who have been verified to have experienced physical violence, including inhumane acts such as tying hands and feet, which were witnessed directly by officers during the raid,” she said.