Victims of Little Aresha Daycare Receive Psychosocial Support
Minister for Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection (PPPA) Arifah Fauzi has condemned the alleged child abuse case at Little Aresha Daycare in Yogyakarta City. Law enforcement must be carried out firmly and transparently.
The state must be present to ensure that victims are protected and perpetrators are processed according to the law,” she stated in an official release on Monday, 27 April 2026.
She supports the steps taken by law enforcement authorities in handling this case professionally and fairly. She also encourages strengthening coordination with relevant institutions, including the Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK), to guarantee maximum protection for the victims.
“We will continue to monitor the handling process while ensuring that victim recovery proceeds optimally,” said Arifah.
The Ministry of PPPA, together with local government and relevant stakeholders, has been and will continue to provide psychosocial support for the victims and their families. These efforts also encompass comprehensive and sustainable recovery services, evaluating the daycare supervision and licensing system, and increasing public education on child rights and safe childcare.
She will also strengthen the complaint system and rapid response to child abuse cases. She conveyed that through Law Number 4 of 2024 on the Welfare of Mothers and Children, the state is present to ensure comprehensive support for mothers and children, from pregnancy to childcare, including through child care centre services.
However, data shows a rapidly increasing need for daycares. Around 75% of families in Indonesia have used alternative childcare, but the quality of services remains a major challenge.
The Ministry of PPPA notes that there are still many fundamental problems in daycare services. Around 44% do not have permits or legal status, and only 30.7% have operational permits. Meanwhile, 12% have registration marks and 13.3% are legal entities.
From a governance perspective, around 20% of daycares do not have SOPs, and 66.7% of management human resources are not certified. The recruitment process for caregivers is generally not based on standards and still lacks specific training.
She encourages the implementation of standardised childcare services through certification of Child-Friendly Care Centres (TARA), as regulated in Ministry of PPPA Regulation Number 4 of 2024. The TARA programme regulates child-friendly daycare service standards, child rights-based childcare principles, referral networks and partnerships, monitoring and evaluation systems.
“We emphasise that human resources are the primary key. Managers and caregivers must understand the concept of child rights-based childcare and have adequate competence,” she said.
Previously, the Yogyakarta City Police Resort raided and sealed Little Aresha Daycare on Friday, 24 April 2026. Police recorded a total of 103 children who had been entrusted there. Of that number, police verified 53 children who experienced physical and verbal abuse.
Yogyakarta Police Chief Senior Commissioner Eva Guna Pandia said the raid stemmed from a report by a former employee who claimed to have witnessed inhumane childcare practices at the facility. “It started from the employee seeing that the treatment of the babies or entrusted children was inhumane,” said Eva on Saturday, 25 April 2026.
She felt that such treatment contradicted her conscience because she saw the children experiencing abuse and neglect. “So in the end, the employee chose to resign and report it,” said Eva.
Head of the Yogyakarta City Women’s Empowerment, Child Protection, Population Control, and Family Planning Agency Retnaningtyas stated that the daycare did not have a permit. She said her agency is now focusing on protecting and recovering the victims.
Police have set up a police line in the front area of Little Aresha and halted all operational activities of the child care facility.
Based on the tenure of the caregivers who have been working for more than a year, police suspect the abuse has been ongoing for a long time. Currently, police have named 13 people as suspects.