Researchers: Handling of Child Sexual Violence Must Side with Victims

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Made Natasya Restu Dewi Pratiwi, a social researcher at The Indonesian Institute (TII), emphasised that the handling of sexual violence cases, particularly involving children, must side entirely with the victims.

“Ultimately, the handling of sexual violence cases must always favour the victim, providing legal certainty and a deterrent effect, and must not trivialise the victim or result in settlements based on the pretext of family reconciliation,” Natasya stated in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Her comments were made in response to the acquittal of a defendant accused of sexually abusing a four-year-old child by the Bandung High Court.

“The perpetrator should be punished for their actions as a form of responsibility by the government and law enforcement agencies in fulfilling the mandate of Law Number 12 of 2022 concerning Sexual Violence Crimes (TPKS), which clearly regulates sanctions for perpetrators,” said Natasya.

She emphasised that the acquittal of the perpetrator could not be justified simply because the judge assessed that the victim did not show fear, trauma, or avoidance when calling the defendant’s name.

She explained that signs of trauma cannot be judged solely by outward appearance or visible responses. To determine a diagnosis of trauma and the victim’s mental health condition, law enforcement agencies should rely exclusively on psychological assessments conducted by health professionals.

“Making a unilateral decision based solely on a child’s visible response, as seen in the acquittal of the perpetrator in this case, is deeply regrettable, as it risks ignoring the traumatic experiences endured by a child at a young age. Furthermore, exposure to sexual violence at a very young age increases the risk of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), which have long-term detrimental impacts on a child’s cognitive, social, and physical development,” she said.

Natasya reminded that the acquittal of perpetrators in child sexual violence cases must be followed up thoroughly to ensure appropriate punishment and to uphold the rights of children and the victims’ families.

Additionally, she noted that victims must be accompanied by health professionals to prevent the deterioration of their psychological condition following exposure to sexual violence.