Sexual violence rife in N. Sumatra

Sexual violence rife in N. Sumatra

MEDAN, North Sumatra: Sexual violence against children was increasing in North Sumatra due to the provincial authority's inaction, a legal aid group based in Medan said on Friday.

The Advocacy Institute for Indonesian Children said it recorded 231 cases of child abuse, mainly comprising sexual assaults, including 38 rapes and 45 molestation and trafficking cases.

It believed the figures, obtained from the scenes of incidents and victim complaints, did not reflect the extent of sexual violence in the province as many other similar cases never came to light.

The institute blamed the provincial authorities for the increasing number of child victims, arguing that children there did not receive adequate protection against such violence.

Local legislator Zahrin Pliliang said law enforcers still adopted a "half-hearted" measure to protect children in North Sumatra. -- JP