Ganug Nugroho Adi, Sragen, Central Java – The Sragen Police in Central Java have arrested Sukamto, 52, and his wife, Wiji Lestari, 47, for forcing a 15-year-old girl, identified as RS, to walk around their neighborhood nude after accusing the junior high school student of stealing sandals and clothes from the family.
Sragen Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Ari Wibowo said on Thursday that the police had nabbed the couple following up on a report from RS' family. "We arrested the couple today [Thursday]. We promptly named them suspects as we already have enough witnesses and evidence," Ari said.
The incident, which took place on Tuesday in Mojorejo subdistrict, Karangmalang, Sragen, started when the couple accused RS of stealing sandals and clothes from their laundry.
RS' brother, Paryono, said the couple, who were also his neighbors, had come over to his house and had expressed their anger by spitting out rough words.
The couple then entered the house, seeking the stolen sandals and clothes. They dragged RS out of the house and forced her to take off her clothes until she was nude. The couple put the stolen cloths around the girl's neck. Sukamto then forced RS to walk around the neighborhood nude.
"We couldn't do anything as we were afraid. The Sukamtos are known to be rude and violent people," Paryono said.
RS walked for about 1 kilometer before several locals finally covered her body with clothes and took her into a house. They also told Sukamto and his wife to stop taking the law into their own hands.
Ari, meanwhile, said the police had received two reports in the case: on pornography and on theft. He said both reports would be followed up on.
In regards to RS' theft case, Ari said that because the suspect was a minor, the case would be settled by sending the girl to her parents. Moreover, the theft case was just a light criminal act.
Ari said that the couple's case, on the other hand, was a serious criminal act. Both could be charged with the 2008 Pornography Law or the 2014 Child Protection Law, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
Ari said the police were still considering which articles to charge the suspects with. Some possible charges could include articles on sexual violence, child protection and pornography.
RS' father, Supriyanto, 47, said he was shocked by what his daughter had experienced. When the incident took place he was out of the regency working as a manual laborer. RS' mother, Marsi, 45, meanwhile, has been paralyzed for years because of an accident and is forced to stay in a wheelchair.
Last month, the National Commission for Child Protection (Komnas PA) said that the number of child-abuse cases in the country had reached an all-time high throughout 2015. The commission called on the government to pay more attention to the issue.
The commission, which operates under the purview of the Social Affairs Ministry, recorded 2,898 reports of violence against children nationwide last year, with 59.3 percent of the reports involving sexual abuse. The number marked a rise from the 2,737 cases recorded in 2014.
Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/01/15/police-arrest-couple-parading-schoolgirl-nude.html