Child protection activists have warned that cases of sexual abuse involving children are increasing, and the children are not always the victims but sometimes the perpetrators.
They blamed the lack of sex education at an early age, as well as sex not being discussed openly because many people still considered the subject taboo.
“Meanwhile, children keep being exposed to sexual content from the internet and mobile phones without knowing the right information,” said Ni Nyoman Suparni, the founder of the Women and Children’s Protection Group, a non-government organization based in Karangasem.
In Karangasem, most of the 30 legal cases involving children were sexual offenses, Suparni said.
“Sex abuse involving children keeps rising, and this year it has dominated the cases,” said the women who recently received the MNC Award for her dedication to child protection.
The latest case in Karangasem involved a 16-year-old boy copulating with a hen. Local people reported this case in fear that the perpetrator would do the same to children in the neighborhood.
“The people thought that the boy had a mental disorder, but it is likely that he developed a strange sexual habit because he has often been exposed to sex videos without understanding them,” Suparni said, adding that there were a lot of similar cases in other areas.
The boy, identified as Komang Sup, has undergone psychological examination. He was declared to have a low IQ, but not a mental disorder.
“This boy will undergo further examination by a psychiatrist, and will be given alternative treatment,” said Suparni.
The boy, who did not finish elementary school, is a construction worker.
“He said he had no sexual passion when he was busy working. He admitted that copulating with a hen was an idea that came from his subconscious mind,” said Suparni, who accompanied Komang Sup.
One of the reasons behind sexual abuse is the rapid development of information technology, which allows people in rural areas to have broader access to technological devices without knowing how to use them responsibly.
“Sex education is crucial in these conditions. The people believe what they see, although they understand it in the wrong way.”
She suggested sex education be incorporated in the curriculum for middle school and high school in Bali, including topics about genitals and sexual crime.
I Ketut Sukanatha, director of the Indonesian Family Planning Agency (PKBI) that has been actively campaigning for sex education, said that he found many cases of people with certain sexual fantasies.
“We should not judge them as having a mental disorder. They need to be informed in the right way about the changes in themselves,” he said.
Meanwhile, unwanted pregnancy was the main reason for patients coming to the PKBI clinic in Denpasar.
He regretted the lack of teenage counselors, saying it was an obstacle to addressing the various problems. PKBI tries to reach out to teenagers through the village-based art group Sekaa Teruna.
Activists also called for the implementation of an integrated mechanism to guarantee that children involved in legal problems could be given proper protection and rehabilitation.
Bali has yet to implement this mechanism, despite the rising number of children becoming involved in legal cases, the activists said.
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