Lita Aruperes, Manado – Reports of sexual violence cases in North Sulawesi has increased from 199 for the whole of 2015 to 261 cases from only January until September this year, data from a NGO showed.

Nur Hasanah, a data officer at Swara Parangpuan, said Friday the victims' ages ranged from five years old to 18 years old. The perpetrators included boyfriends, students, teachers and parents.

"We hope the police can investigate such cases thoroughly to create deterring effects so we don't see such cases anymore," she said.

Chairman of the National Commission for Child Protection (Komnas PA) Ariest Merdeka Sirait urged the police to continue with sexual violence cases, specifically for recent cases in Manado.

Recently, there was a report against a Manado city agency head filed by a teen student who was doing an internship at his office. Ariest said he hoped the police would not drop the case because of "lack of evidence," the most common reason for the police to drop sexual violence charges.

He encouraged the police to be persistent in collecting evidence in sexual violence investigations as sexual abuse is a heinous crime. (evi)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/07/reports-of-sexual-violence-increase-in-manado.html