TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) has discovered potential sexual abuse by police officers against minors who were victims of wrongful arrest in Magelang. The acts are suspected to have been committed by members of the Magelang City Police.
KPAI member Diyah Puspitarini stated that the minors were victims of not only physical violence. "There were also elements of sexual abuse. That's what we will investigate further," she said when contacted on Tuesday, November 4, 2025.
Diyah reported that she met with several victims earlier this week, as well as with Magelang City Police Chief, Adjunct Senior Commissioner Anita Indah Setyaningrum. She also summoned all police officers suspected of involvement in the violence against the victims of wrongful arrest.
The allegations of sexual abuse emerged after she interviewed two child victims. "And the children requested psychological assistance from the Magelang Regional Child Protection Commission and social workers," she said.
Furthermore, she stated, the KPAI will coordinate with the National Police Commission (Kompolnas) regarding this case.
Diyah also asked police officers to respect the legal process, noting that legal protection for children is guaranteed by Law Number 35 of 2014 concerning Amendments to Law Number 23 of 2002 concerning Child Protection.
Two victims of wrongful arrest have already reported officers from the Magelang City Police to the Central Java Regional Police. "I urge the police to respect the legal process initiated by the complainants," Diyah said.
Allegations of Torture and Doxing
The Yogyakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Yogyakarta) recently uncovered allegations of torture and doxing by the Magelang City Police against several minors. The children claimed they did not participate in the August 29, 2025, demonstration, yet they were arrested and subjected to police violence.
Six children recounted various forms of violence they experienced while detained at the Magelang City Police Station. They were beaten, kicked, whipped with a hose, and even forced to chew a type of galangal in turn, along with dozens of other people.
LBH Yogyakarta conducted investigations and interviews with 14 individuals over two weeks. Ultimately, six of the 14 children agreed to report the Magelang City Police to the Central Java Regional Police.
However, only two reports are currently being pursued: those by DRP (15) and MDP (17). The parents of the other four children claimed to have been intimidated by unknown parties, leading them to withdraw their reports.
Data Leak and Stigmatization
The Magelang City Police arrested 53 people after a demonstration in front of the police station on August 29, 2025. Of those 53, LBH Yogyakarta found that 26 were minors. The Legal Aid Institute later met with 14 of those 26, with the exception of one person; all of those interviewed stated they did not participate in the demonstration.
Ultimately, the Magelang City Police released the arrested individuals. However, the children's ordeal did not end there. After their release, the minors' personal information was spread across various village WhatsApp groups.
The leaked personal data included photos, full names, places and dates of birth, and home addresses of the children. The data identified DRP, MDP, and other children as among the 53 alleged perpetrators of vandalism during the demonstration.
As a result, they were stigmatized by the public as criminals. "Some were even expelled from school," Royan told reporters in Central Jakarta on Thursday, October 30, 2025.
LBH Yogyakarta has yet to identify who distributed the personal data. "We know for certain that this data was taken by the police when they (the children) were detained. But we don't yet know who distributed it," Royan said.
The Magelang City Police Department denied the findings of the LBH Yogyakarta investigation. "There was no violence committed by officers," said the Head of the Criminal Investigation Unit (Kasat Reskrim), First Inspector (Iptu) Iwan Kristiana, when contacted on Thursday.
The victims have reported a number of Magelang City Police personnel to the Central Java Regional Police since October 16, 2025. The reported parties are Magelang City Police Chief AKBP Anita Indah Setyaningrum, Magelang City Criminal Investigation Unit Head Iptu Iwan Kristiana, and three other police officers.
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