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.