Police special centers help sexual crime victims

Police special centers help sexual crime victims

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

In a comfortable room, a young woman in an attractive blazer
chats with two young boys in elementary school uniforms.

Every once in a while, the woman, who has introduced herself
to the children as "auntie", poses a question to the boys in a
low-pitched voice accompanied by empathetic gestures. The
children answer the questions and watch as their "auntie" types
them into a computer.

Never would one imagine that this scene was taking place at
Jakarta Police Headquarters and that the children were being
questioned.

The woman was a police officer getting testimony from the
victims of a sexual harassment allegedly committed by a security
guard in Cileduk, Tangerang.

"We must make sure that the victims we are speaking to feel at
ease in giving their testimony to the police. By so doing, we can
obtain thorough testimony for the benefit of the dossiers," the
head of the city police's Special Center (RPK), Adj. Comr. Susan
Dias, told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

Susan said policewomen assigned to work in the center were
trained counsel the victims of sex crimes.

In most cases, Susan said, the policewomen have to handle
upset victims who have been traumatized by the crimes committed
against them.

"After we listen to their stories, we can decide whether or
not the reported case is a misdemeanor or what kind of legal
charges can be filed," Susan said.

These police special centers, which were established on April,
19, 1999, handle special crimes against women and children, like
rape, sexual abuse and domestic violence.

The center was established in response to criticism of the
police's poor treatment of the victims of domestic violence, rape
and sexual harassment. Ordinary police interrogation rooms with
suffocating cigarette smoke, packed with criminals and unfriendly
male police investigators, only added to the trauma experienced
by the victims of these crimes.

Violence and sexual abuse against women and children is on the
rise, as partly seen in the number of rapes reported to the
police this year.

In the first half of this year, 72 rapes have been reported to
the police. Last year, 107 rapes were reported, a 20 percent
increase from the 89 reported in 2001.

Given the difficulty of the work and the demands placed on the
policewomen, it is clear that the center is understaffed.

Last year, the five policewomen staffing the center handled 70
cases.

"As of August this year, the number of reported cases has
soared to 84," Susan said.

Susan's subordinate, Chief Brig. Halifah Retno Sari, said that
she could handle five cases every two weeks.

"Just figure it out. I might get five cases this week, which
will include a lot of talking with victims and suspects and
taking down testimony, and all the paperwork, including the
dossiers," Retno said.

In the next two weeks, Retno said, she would get six new cases
that needed to be completed, not to mention additional jobs
handed to her by her superiors.