A father in Indonesia thought his 3-year-old daughter’s tears before daycare were just typical toddler reluctance to leave home. Aldewa Anjasmara Halip never imagined his child was among dozens of youngsters facing physical abuse at their childcare facility.
Authorities in Yogyakarta, Indonesia’s cultural hub, took 13 daycare workers into custody in late April following allegations of child abuse and neglect at the Little Aresha daycare center. The arrests have triggered widespread public anger and demands for enhanced government supervision of the nation’s expanding childcare industry. Law enforcement also discovered the facility had been running without proper permits.
“I thought it was just a normal thing because she was simply too lazy to go … but it turns out she has been traumatised there,” Aldewa explained. Both he and his spouse are employed at local shopping centers.
During their April raid, officers discovered the majority of the center’s more than 100 enrolled children with restraints on their hands and feet, according to Apri Sawitri, who leads child protection efforts for Yogyakarta’s police criminal investigation division. Some youngsters were secured to doorways, she revealed during a Reuters interview.
Diyah Puspitarini, a commissioner with Indonesia’s child protection agency, told Reuters that numerous children faced regular slapping and pinching.
Staff members informed police the physical discipline aimed to make children “more manageable,” Diyah reported.
The 13 accused individuals are all female, including the facility’s owner, director, and staff members, police confirmed. Following standard Indonesian procedure before court proceedings, authorities have only released the suspects’ initials rather than full names.
Reuters could not reach any defendants or locate their legal representation for statements. Phone calls to Little Aresha’s registered number received an automated message stating the line was disconnected. No suspect has made public comments regarding the charges.
Child rights advocates describe this as Indonesia’s largest single alleged child violence incident, generating major newspaper headlines, widespread social media attention, and strong criticism from advocacy organizations and government officials.
Following these arrests, government leaders have committed to increased supervision and regulation, plus improved coordination between national and local authorities.
“We hope Yogyakarta can serve as a starting point for a national review to ensure that all daycare centres in Indonesia meet child protection standards to the highest possible standard,” said Minister for Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Arifah Fauzi, whose department supervises daycare facilities.
Little Aresha ranked among Yogyakarta’s pricier childcare options in this nearly 4 million-person cultural tourism destination. Monthly fees reached 1 million rupiah ($55.74), according to child protection agency official Diyah, in a city where typical monthly earnings average about 3.2 million rupiah.
Since the case became public knowledge, vandals have covered the center’s walls and windows with spray-painted obscenities.
Diyah said the accusations surfaced when a staff member came forward as a whistleblower.
Workers told investigators children were restrained following the director’s instructions as a method to maximize the child-to-staff ratio, she explained.
The five-room facility, housed in a residential building, was overcrowded with up to 30 children crammed into single 3-by-3 meter rooms, she noted. Staff lacked proper training and each caregiver supervised 10 children, she added. Government staffing recommendations, though non-mandatory, suggest one caregiver per four children.
Indonesian law sets maximum penalties for child abuse and neglect convictions at five years imprisonment plus 100 million rupiah ($5,574) in fines.
Police additionally accused the center of violating national education statutes by operating without licensing, an offense carrying up to 10 years imprisonment.
Little Aresha had operated since 2018, Diyah confirmed. A sign Reuters observed at the location advertised services for infants as young as 2 months, featuring rainbow imagery and children at play.
Indonesia hosts thousands of childcare centers, though the concept remains relatively recent in a nation where extended families traditionally provide child supervision.
“The government does not have an official figure of the total number of daycares in Indonesia,” Minister Arifah stated, noting authorities now require all such facilities to register.
These childcare centers function under different organizational structures, she explained. Some connect to early childhood education programs or kindergartens, others operate community-based or home-based models, and many lack registration with any government body.
Diyah’s agency has called on government officials, police, and local community leaders to conduct regular inspections at all childcare facilities.
The organization has also pressed for higher qualification standards for caregivers and improved facility requirements, she said.
Police reported that Imedia Dwi Anjani’s 4-year-old son was discovered tied to a door during their raid.
She had previously noticed bruises and bumps on her child’s body, but staff explained these resulted from normal toddler roughhousing. Her son has delayed speech development, preventing him from describing his experiences, she said.
“Everything they have done is despicable,” she stated.
Police anticipate completing their investigation by late June, Apri confirmed, after which their report will go to the provincial prosecutor’s office for potential formal charges.
