Sultan HB X Astonished that Suspects in Jogja Daycare Case are Mothers: Don't They Have Children?
Governor of DIY Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X is baffled that mothers have become suspects in the case of alleged assault against children at the Little Aresha Jogja daycare. Mothers, who should be a safe haven, instead cruelly treat children inhumanely.
“What surprises me is that it was done by mothers; don’t they have children (such that) they treat underage children like that,” the Sultan stated when met at the Kepatihan Complex in Jogja City on Wednesday (29/4/2026).
“I don’t understand, who are they? The ones committing the violence (are actually) the mothers themselves, such violence,” he continued.
The Sultan emphasised that he does not want such incidents to happen again. He also instructed relevant officials to close daycares that do not yet have permits.
“I don’t want this very disturbing incident to recur. So for me, if it’s illegal, close it temporarily so it can be processed legally. As long as they don’t want to go legal, they shouldn’t be allowed to open, so it doesn’t recur,” the Sultan asserted firmly.
The Sultan also indicated that he will soon issue a circular (SE) regarding this matter. Illegal daycares, according to him, can operate again after obtaining permits.
“Being illegal means there’s definitely a problem; if it’s good, it should be legal. That’s why I’m asking for the circular to be issued quickly; my hope is that districts/cities conduct operations. See, there are illegal ones that don’t provide good service,” he explained.
“The important thing is the service, because even those with permits aren’t necessarily providing good service, let alone illegal ones,” the Sultan concluded.
Previously, the violence against children at Little Aresha Jogja daycare was a direct order from the Foundation Chair and the School Principal. Both have been designated as suspects in this case.
The police have named 13 suspects, all women. They are DK (51) as the chair of the foundation overseeing Little Aresha daycare and AP (42) as the school principal.
The other 11 suspects as caregivers are FN (30), NF (26), Lis (34), EN (26), SRm (54), DR (32), HP (47), ZA (30), SRj (50), DO (31), and DM (28).
The Head of Criminal Investigation at Jogja Police Resort, Kompol Riski Adrian, added that the roles of DK and AP as leaders of the foundation overseeing this daycare were quite crucial. According to him, there was no written rule for the caregivers to commit torture, but DK and AP instructed it verbally.
“So indeed, for written rules or procedures, there are none, but from the statements of the 11 caregiver suspects, they were ordered to do that by the Foundation Chair. However, it’s not in the SOP; it was conveyed verbally, directly by the Foundation Chair,” Adrian explained during a press conference at Jogja Police Resort on Monday (27/4) afternoon.
“(The school principal) is the same, because the Foundation Chair and School Principal were always present every morning, and they directly saw the caregivers doing that to the children. So they knew and ordered it,” he continued.
Meanwhile, the caregivers directly carried out the alleged torture against the children. According to the suspects’ statements, the instructions were also passed down to new caregivers.
“Indeed, the caregivers said this was also passed down from generation to generation. Meaning, before them, there were already those working, and those methods were also conveyed by their seniors or those who had left,” Adrian revealed.