To Prevent Child Abuse Cases, MUI Proposes Mandatory CCTV Access for Parents in Daycares

JAKARTA - The Chair of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) for Women, Youth, and Family Affairs (PRK), Siti Ma’rifah, has proposed that there should be a mandatory CCTV access requirement for parents at every daycare. This was stated by Ma’rifah in response to the child abuse case at Little Aresha daycare in Yogyakarta. She encouraged daycare founders and managers to possess competencies and qualifications in child care, evidenced by certification. Siti Ma’rifah reminded that parents should not be excluded under the pretext of instilling discipline and independence in children, and they should be granted digital access for supervision. Daycare managers, she said, are obliged to provide such facilities so that children can be monitored by parents remotely. Additionally, she called on the government issuing daycare permits to proactively inspect daycares operating without licences. This is crucial to prevent any more deviant actions by daycares that harm innocent children. Furthermore, she urged parents and the public to be more aware of such cases and not to be easily swayed by cheap daycare service offers. “Any one-sided explanations from daycare providers must be immediately verified through observation of their truthfulness, and do not hesitate to report if irregularities and violations are found,” she said. The police have designated 13 people as suspects and immediately detained them. The suspect designations were made after the Yogyakarta Police Resort held a case assembly on Saturday night (25/4/2026), following the raid at the incident location. Head of Public Relations for the DIY Regional Police, Senior Commissioner Pol Ihsan, stated that the suspects come from various elements within the institution, from leadership to caregiving staff. “Certainly, 13 people have been designated as suspects, from the school principal, foundation chair, to the caregivers at the location. This could develop further, depending on the development process and additional statements from the suspects,” Ihsan said on Sunday (26/4/2026).