TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Hundreds of underage children are still being detained in police stations across various regions following the demonstrations that took place over several days in August 2025, according to records from the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI).
The latest observations from KPAI indicate that at least 2,093 children were taken to the police. "Then, there are still hundreds of children who are still in the legal process," said KPAI Member Diyah Puspitarini in a voice message, as quoted on Saturday, September 13, 2025.
Out of the thousands of children under 18 years old arrested by the police, 629 of them were in DKI Jakarta. Furthermore, 277 children were in West Java, 53 in East Java, 43 in Bali, and 24 in Yogyakarta. Six children were recorded as being arrested in South Sulawesi and three in North Maluku. Meanwhile, the highest number was recorded in Central Java, with 1,058 children arrested by the police.
KPAI Chair Margaret Aliyatul Maimunah stated that they could not confirm the exact number of children still detained to date. Several things still need to be double-checked. "How many children, where they are dispersed, and also their conditions," she said in a brief message.
However, Margaret ensured that child detainees were treated with special care. She mentioned that the treatment of child detainees refers to Law Number 11 of 2012 concerning the Juvenile Justice System (SPPA). "Treated humanely, not subjected to cruel treatment, and their basic rights fulfilled," she stated.
In addition, she also ensured the safety of the identities of the child detainees. "And they are not mixed with adult detainees," she said.
The Indonesian National Police (Polri) recorded that 583 out of a total of 5,444 individuals arrested during the August 2025 riots are still undergoing legal processes. They are spread across several major cities such as Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang, Surabaya, Makassar, and Medan.
Children Experiencing Violence
The observations and monitoring by KPAI and its partners showed several recurring patterns when children were arrested. One of them is the arrest of children accompanied by violence.
"During the arrest and interrogation, children experienced verbal and physical violence," according to KPAI's notes presented during a coordination meeting with Coordinating Minister for Legal, Human Rights, Immigration, and Law Yusril Ihza Mahendra in Jakarta on September 8, 2025.
Three other patterns found by KPAI are indications of mobilizing children from surrounding districts/cities, children's detention tends to occur during demonstrations on August 30 - September 1, 2025, and the lack of accompaniment from the Regional Technical Implementation Unit for the Protection of Women and Children (UPTD PPA) for these children.
KPAI's findings are in line with the monitoring also conducted by the Advocacy Team for Democracy (TAUD), a public attorney group consisting of several members of civil society organizations.
Based on TAUD's latest records on September 9, 2025, at least 399 underage children were arrested by the police during the demonstrations. 382 of them were detained, and 331 children have been released. Five people are still recorded as being detained in police stations, and the whereabouts of 59 others still need to be confirmed.
Public attorney from the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH) and representative of TAUD, Alif Fauzi Nurwidiastomo, emphasized several violations committed by the police when arresting demonstrators.
One of them is the arrest - including of children - exceeding the one-day time limit, as stipulated in the criminal procedure law. "At that time, the children were detained for more than 24 hours," said Alif during a press conference at the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) Building, Central Jakarta, on September 9, 2025.
He also noted that the police did not immediately inform family members of the arrest and detention of the individuals involved. In addition, he said, several interrogations at the police station took place without being accompanied by legal advisors.
Alif also said that the arrests were generally carried out with violence. According to his observations, one person who was arrested was injured due to rubber bullet shots in East Jakarta. He was treated at the Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital (RSCM).
"However, he was forcefully taken, or in quotation marks arrested, by the East Jakarta Police Resort to forcibly provide his statement as a suspect," he said.
He emphasized that this violates the criminal procedure law. "Because in the examination report, the first question is, 'Are you physically and mentally healthy?' Surely, this has violated procedural laws in criminal proceedings," he stated.
Ade Ridwan Yandwiputra contributed to the writing of this article.
Editor's Choice: Indonesia: 583 Demonstrators Still Detained, KPAI Ensures Children in Custody Receive Special Treatment
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