Rights body told to study sex cases

Rights body told to study sex cases

Ruslan Sangadji, Palu

The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has been
urged to investigate alleged sexual exploitation of women by
security forces in the troubled town of Poso, Central Sulawesi.

In the meantime, local women's organization the Women's Group
Struggling for Gender Equality in Central Sulawesi (KPKP-ST),
criticized on Friday Poso Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Abdhi Darma
as being "arrogant" for appearing to blame the reported
exploitation on the victims.

KPKP-ST leader Eva Susanti said the Poso Police chief told
women protesters on Thursday at his office, "women should protect
themselves from being seduced by men," so as to avoid such sexual
exploitation.

"It was the women who wanted to be seduced by the men," Abdhi
was quoted by Eva as saying as he explained what partly caused
the alleged exploitation of the women in Poso.

Eva said on Friday the Poso Police chief should not have made
such an offensive statement in responding to reports of
exploitation allegedly perpetrated by his personnel.

"Such a remark means that the police chief has tried to
protect those of his subordinates who irresponsibly exploited
women in Poso," she stressed.

However, Abdhi denied making such a statement.

He said that at the time he warmly received the protesters at
his office and told them to proceed with their complaints about
alleged sexual exploitation by police and military officers.

KPKP-ST secretary-general Soraya Sultan said her group had
filed a report on the sexual exploitation with Komnas HAM in
order for it to start investigating the sensitive cases.

Hundreds of local women were reportedly exploited and
subsequently traumatized after coming into contact with military
and police officers deployed to Poso from other areas of the
country over the last four years.

However, only 20 have had the courage to speak out on what
they experienced.

Several victims admitted to becoming pregnant after dating
policemen who refused to marry them, subsequently abandoning them
and their children.

Others said they had had courtships with soldiers or
policemen, but when they became pregnant, they were pressured
strongly to have an abortion.

Victims who have been traumatized include women from Poso
Kota, Poso Pesisir, Lage and North Pamona Utara districts.

Earlier, Central Sulawesi Police chief Brig. Gen. Taufik Ridha
asserted that he would severely punish any of his subordinates
who had been involved in such exploitation. "There will be no
mercy for those who have exploited women in this way," he said
recently.