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