Jakarta – Child abuse in Indonesia is on the rise and the majority of perpetrators are those close to their victims, data from the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) has shown.
"Cases of violence against children have shown a steep increase, with most cases occurring within families [...] other common perpetrators are teachers," KPAI chairman Asrorun Ni'am Sholeh told the press at KPAI headquarters on Tuesday.
KPAI recorded 485 cases of violence against children in 2012, increasing to 632 cases in 2013 and 970 cases in 2014.
The cases were divided into physical, psychological and sexual abuse, with sexual violence heavily outnumbering the other forms of abuse.
The commission recorded 412 sexual abuse cases in 2012, 343 cases in 2013 and 656 cases in 2014. "The rising number of reports could be due to people's increasing willingness to report violence, especially with increasing media coverage of violence against children," Asrorun said.
He urged people to report any indications of violence against children.
"Children who are sexually exploited are often seen as a disgrace to the family. It doesn't help the children, and it risks causing them long-term trauma," he said.