Advertisement

Indonesia tests female police recruits for virginity

Indonesian police women participate in "Indonesia Menari", an Indonesian dance event, in Jakarta on November 24, 2013.
Indonesian police women participate in "Indonesia Menari", an Indonesian dance event, in Jakarta on November 24, 2013. ADEK BERRY/AFP/Getty Images

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Indonesia must stop subjecting female police recruits to physical tests in an effort to determine whether they are virgins, a leading human rights group said Tuesday, describing the practice as degrading and discriminatory.

Human Rights Watch said in a report that such tests were a longstanding practice in Indonesia, where patriarchal attitudes and practices in the security forces are common.

The report was based on interviews with female police officers and police applicants in six Indonesian cities who had undergone the so called “two-finger” test to determine whether their hymens are intact.

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

The requirement is even posted on the jobs website for Indonesia’s national police. On Tuesday it read, “In addition to the medical and physical tests, women who want to be policewomen must also undergo virginity tests. So all women who want to become policewomen should keep their virginity.”

Story continues below advertisement

Citing medical experts, Human Rights Watch said the physical tests are useless in determining virginity.

Indonesian police spokesman Maj. Gen. Ronny Sompie urged people not “respond negatively” to the tests, saying they were aimed at ensuring applicants were free from sexually transmitted diseases. He said both male and female recruits also get blood tests for STDs.

“All of this is done in a professional manner and did not harm the applicants,” Sompie said.

Human Rights Watch has documented the use of abusive virginity tests by police in several other countries, including Egypt, India and Afghanistan.

In a video interview recorded by the group, a 24-year-old Indonesian woman said she was among 20 applicants who underwent the test.

“I feared that after they performed the test I would not be a virgin anymore,” she told the group in a silhouetted video interview. “They inserted two fingers with gels … it really hurt.”

Sponsored content

AdChoices