Local and national outrage has been stirred over a proposal by Indonesian health officials to require female high school students to undergo mandatory virginity tests to discourage premarital sex and prostitution.
Muhammad Rasyid, Head of the Office of Education in Prabumulih, South Sumatra, introduced a budget and strategy to begin this testing as soon as next year. However, local officials and activists vehemently criticize the proposition and accuse Rasyid of “promoting sexual violence against women” and violating human rights.
The plan has since been halted, yet harsh criticism from social media websites and Indonesian officials continues. Indonesian Education Minister Mohammad Nuh said the proposal was “neither wise nor judicious” and would not prevent teenage sex. Nuh also said “if there was proof [that the tests could prevent premarital sex] of course we would issue a circular to that effect. But they must find another way, a wiser way, to address the issue of sex.” Local officials also expressed concern over the implementation as possibly prohibiting students’ access to education.
The project was originally incited by the arrest of three high school female students allegedly involved in prostitution. Rasyid said the tests were for the students’ “own good” and they would be protected from “prostitution and free sex,” but he also acknowledged the possibility of “some human rights concerns.” The test would be conducted on 15 and 16 year old female students entering high school.
In response, Aris Merdeka Sirait of the National Commission for Child Protection argued, “the loss of virginity is not merely because of sexual activities. It could be caused by sports or health problems and many other factors. We strongly oppose this aggressive move.”
The conversation is not unfamiliar to the world’s most populous Muslim country of 205 million, where sexual education programs were previously turned down on the grounds that “speaking on the subject goes against the nation’s traditions.”
Creative Commons Love: Carl Parkes on Flickr.com
Written by Rachel Pozivenec