When Sultan HB X Orders Closure of Illegal Daycares Following the Little Aresha Case
Governor of DIY Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X has responded strongly to the child abuse case at the Little Aresha daycare in Jogja. The Sultan has requested that all unlicensed daycares in DIY be temporarily closed.
“I do not want such a disturbing incident to happen again. So, as for me, if it’s illegal, close it temporarily so it can be processed legally. As long as it does not want to be legal, it should not be allowed to open, so it does not happen again,” the Sultan emphasised at the Kepatihan Complex in Jogja City on Wednesday (29/4/2026).
The Sultan stated that a circular letter (SE) on the matter should be issued immediately. He also asked regencies and cities in DIY to evaluate existing daycares.
“Something illegal is definitely problematic; if it’s good, it should be legal. That’s why I request a quick circular letter; I hope the regencies/cities conduct operations. See if there are illegal ones that do not provide good service,” he explained.
“The important thing is the service, because even those with permits do not necessarily provide good service, let alone illegal ones,” the Sultan concluded.
The Sultan expressed his astonishment that the suspects in the child abuse case at Little Aresha daycare are mothers. Mothers, who should be a safe haven, instead treated the 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 revealed.
“I don’t understand; who are they? The ones committing the violence are the mothers themselves, such violence,” he added.
It is known that the acts of violence against children at Little Aresha daycare in Jogja were direct orders from the Foundation Chair and School Principal. Both have been named as suspects in this case.
The police have named 13 female suspects. 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 the foundation’s top officials overseeing this daycare are quite crucial. According to him, there was no written rule for the caregivers to commit torture, but DK and AP ordered it verbally.
“So, there is indeed no written rule or procedure, but from the statements of the 11 caregiver suspects, they were ordered to do that by the Foundation Chair. However, it is 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 are always present every morning, and they directly see 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 say this was also passed down from generation to generation. Meaning, before them, there were already workers, and those methods were also conveyed by their seniors or those who had left,” Adrian revealed.