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- After human rights groups called for the prohibition of intrusive vaginal examinations, the Indonesian army has stopped implementing so-called “virginity checks” on female recruits.
- The National Committee on Violence against Women welcomed the news, but warned that they needed evidence to show that the practice was over.
- The organization urged the Army to write its commitments into written regulations, and asked the Air Force and Navy to do the same.
After human rights groups called for a ban on invasive vaginal examinations, the Indonesian army has stopped conducting so-called “virginity checks” on female recruits, the person in charge said on Thursday.
The military has long defended the unscientific “two-finger test” to check whether the students’ hymen is intact, and to eliminate recruits whose past sexual behaviors would damage their image.
The National Committee on Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan) welcomed the news-calling these tests “discriminatory and intrusive”-but cautioned them that they need evidence that the practice is over.
Army Chief of Staff Andika Perkasa (Andika Perkasa) said on Thursday that tests that had been standard practice for decades were cancelled earlier this year, but did not specify a date.
“Before, this was part of the evaluation (for female recruits), but now we don’t do it anymore,” he told reporters in Balikpapan on the Indonesian island of Borneo.
“The military always tries to learn and improve things within the organization,” he added.
The army commander said that the practice of allowing military fiances to take such tests has also been abandoned.
Komnas Perempuan of Indonesia urged the Army to write its commitments into written regulations and asked the Air Force and Navy to do the same.
The head of the committee, Theresia Iswarini, told AFP on Thursday before Perkasa’s announcement:
We need to make sure that the “virginity test” is over. The test is discriminatory and invasive. It can bring shame, fear and trauma to the victim.
Human Rights Watch called this a “form of gender-based violence” and welcomed the news.
The World Health Organization stated that the procedure lacks scientific validity and is not a reliable indicator of previous sexual intercourse.
There is a petition on Change.org, which has nearly 70,000 signatures, to end this practice, calling the procedure “painful, humiliating, and lacking scientific evidence.”
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