Parents of Daycare Aresha Victims Confront Suspects During Reconstruction

A number of suspects in the alleged abuse and neglect case at Daycare Little Aresha were heckled by parents ahead of a reconstruction process conducted by the Yogyakarta City Police. The reconstruction took place at the Daycare Little Aresha location in Umbulharjo, Yogyakarta City, from Tuesday morning.

Before the reconstruction began, several parents of victims had been waiting in the vicinity. At around 10.10 a.m. local time, the suspects arrived in a detention vehicle. “You are barbaric,” shouted one parent as the suspects stepped out of the vehicle and entered the daycare area. “Go to hell,” said another parent in an annoyed tone. Some parents even appeared to try to reach the suspects but were blocked by police officers providing security. “Oh, acting gentle now, but inside you tied up the children,” another parent said at the start of the reconstruction involving DK, the foundation chairman.

Police have named a total of 13 suspects in the alleged abuse and neglect case at Daycare Little Aresha. The suspects are the foundation chairman with the initials DK and the head of school, AP. Also named are 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 have reached over 100.

According to police, DK and AP played a role in instructing the caregivers to treat the children inhumanely. Some of the acts included tying the children’s wrists and ankles from the morning until they were picked up by their parents. The orders were reportedly given not as a punishment for the children but due to a shortage of caregivers at the daycare. Police stated that two to four caregivers per shift had to look after up to 20 children.

Investigators will apply corporate liability 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 Article 20 and Article 21 of Law No. 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code. These articles relate to the alleged criminal acts of treating children discriminatorily, or placing, allowing involvement, or ordering involvement of children in situations of mistreatment and neglect or violence against children. The suspects face a prison sentence of five to eight years.