Yogyakarta City Government to Sweep Daycares in Wake of Little Aresha Abuse Case
The Yogyakarta City Government will inspect all childcare facilities, or daycares, in the city following allegations of child abuse at Little Aresha Daycare in Sorosutan, Umbulharjo, which affected dozens of children.
Yogyakarta Mayor Hasto Wardoyo stated that the inspection will simultaneously map out all operating childcare facilities, even those without official city permits.
“We will sweep all places providing childcare in Yogyakarta City, because what happened yesterday (at Little Aresha) had no permit. It only had a foundation, but no permit as a childcare centre, early childhood education, or kindergarten,” Hasto said on Sunday morning (26/4).
Hasto claimed that standard procedures for childcare facilities are required for operational permits, with the city government responsible for verification through site visits.
“If they are unlicensed, we naturally wouldn’t know they exist,” Hasto added.
The Yogyakarta City Government is currently coordinating with local police on the case’s progress. Hasto is also attempting to meet with parents or families of the children who were victims of the alleged abuse at Little Aresha.
Additionally, Hasto said the city government, along with the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI), has prepared a plan for psychological support for the victims and their families.
Police had previously named 13 individuals as suspects in the alleged violence at the Little Aresha childcare facility.
Yogyakarta Police Chief, Commissioner Eva Guna Pandia, explained that the suspect designations were based on a case review conducted on Saturday night (25/4).
“We have named 13 temporary suspects, consisting of one foundation head, one school principal, and eleven caregivers,” Pandia said when met at the Amongrogo Sports Hall in Yogyakarta City on Saturday night.
Pandia stated that the motives behind the suspects’ alleged violent acts are still under investigation. She said details of the case would be revealed at a press conference on Monday (27/4).
To date, the suspects have been charged under articles related to improper treatment, neglect, or violence against children.
Yogyakarta Police previously arrested 30 people during a raid on Little Aresha Daycare on Friday (24/4). The legal action followed reports of alleged child abuse at the facility.
Yogyakarta Police Criminal Investigation Unit Chief, Commissioner Riski Adrian, said that during the raid, officers witnessed inhumane treatment by the operators.
“Officers directly observed that the children were treated inhumanely,” he said, quoted from Detik.
The inhumane treatment, Adrian continued, involved binding the children’s hands and feet. Based on preliminary examinations, police stated that the number of children suspected to be victims of abuse at Little Aresha reached 53.