Jakarta – The parents of DA, a 3-year-old rape victim, said on Friday that they had been asked to pay Rp 1.2 million (US$81.7) by a policewoman from the Central Jakarta Police women and children's protection unit to file their daughter's case.
Titin, 29, and Samad, 30, are residents of Bendungan Hilir in Central Jakarta. "My husband and I only had Rp 500,000," Titin said. "We were forced to pawn a relative's motorbike to get the money needed."
After securing the money, she said, she and her husband immediately took DA to the Cipto Mangunkusumo National Hospital (RSCM) in Central Jakarta to obtain a medical report.
"It was 9 p.m. and my daughter was tired. She was unwell because her vagina had sustained an injury from the rape. But the test is important because it is the only way that the police can arrest [alleged rapist] Salman," Titin said as quoted by wartakota.tribunnews.com.
DA was reportedly raped by Salman, a 57-year-old widower, on Friday afternoon. She arrived home from school crying and complaining of a pain in her vagina.
Samad immediately checked his daughter's underwear and found an injury to her vagina. He rushed her to the Mintohardjo Navy Hospital in Central Jakarta, but the medical service had already closed.
Samad then took his daughter to RSCM, but the hospital required a letter from the police, which he and Titin rushed to obtain before returning to the hospital.
A temporary medical result showed that the injury to DA's vagina had been caused by a blunt object. "But the hospital refused to check my daughter's underwear until we'd paid an extra fee," Titin said.