Hands and feet tied, wearing only diapers: Inside Indonesia's childcare abuse scandal

A childcare abuse scandal in Indonesia has gone viral. Over a dozen people have been arrested by the Indonesian police after images of children allegedly being abused at the daycare centre went viral.

Dozens of children, with some being under two years old, are said to have been abused, with their hands and feet being tied up. At the centre of the row is the daycare centre Little Aresha.

"We strongly condemn the acts of torture at the daycare in Yogyakarta City. This is not simply negligence in care, but a serious violation of children's right to be free from torture and cruel treatment," Director General of Human Rights Services and Compliance, Munafrizal Manan, said in a statement.

There are reports in the media that Little Aresha is unlicensed – an allegation Firstpost has not independently confirmed. But what do we know about Indonesia’s childcare abuse scandal, which has gripped the nation?

More from Explainers

Why are Chinese billionaires using US surrogates to build mega-families?

Explained: The talc cancer case in which Johnson and Johnson has been ordered to pay $966 million

Let’s take a closer look

What we know

Little Aresha is a daycare centre in Yogyakarta on Java island.

According to the BBC, the centre touts its well-equipped facilities and a variety of play activities for kids. On Friday, the Indonesian police raided the Little Aresha daycare centre. This came after a complaint from a former employee that children were being abused at the centre. Police, during the raid, found children with their hands and feet tied and others with injuries.

According to police, there were around 100 children at the daycare, half of whom are believed to have been maltreated. CCTV footage circulating on social media showed children, most under the age of two, lying on the floor wearing only diapers, their hands and feet bound with rags. The police have confirmed that the footage is authentic. Police said they also found 20 children crammed into a room under 100 square feet.

The gate of the Little Aresha daycare centre, sealed with police yellow tape. AFP

So far, 13 people have been named suspects and arrested in the case, city police chief Eva Guna Pandia told reporters in Yogyakarta on Monday. Those in custody include 11 child carers, as well as the headmaster and the head of the foundation that ran the centre. Pandia was quoted as saying by RRI.co.id, “The crime is treating children in a discriminatory manner or placing, allowing, involving, or ordering the involvement of children in situations of mistreatment or neglect.”

They will face a raft of charges, including child neglect. Other charges may be added as the investigation unfolds. Pandia said the suspects told police they had tied up some of the children to prevent them from disturbing others. They claimed the centre was understaffed, with not enough personnel to bathe and dress the children, said Yogyakarta detective Riski Adrian. The police have questioned over two dozen people in the case.

What the parents are saying

The parents are heartbroken and are demanding justice.

Parent Noorman Windarto said he was shocked when he received a phone call from a fellow parent last Friday, urging him to pick up his two-year-old son. He later learnt from police that the boy, who had been attending the centre since he was three months old, was among those who had been tied up.

"My heart was shattered," the 42-year-old civil servant said. "My wife cried. Most of them (caregivers) were women, and their body language was so tender, so soft-spoken, and they appeared to be religious."

Noorman, who had enrolled his two young children in Little Aresha, told the BBC, "The facilities offered include air-conditioned rooms, beds, lunch, and a variety of play activities."

However, Noorman admitted that there were signs that he missed. "Why is it that every day when he gets home, he always complains that he's still hungry, asking for food, a drink, milk?" Noorman said. "It turns out we didn't notice the signs that something was wrong." "It's inhumane. We've been entrusting him to the centre," Noorman said. "Not only my own child, but there were dozens of toddlers who were treated in such inhumane ways."

According to police, there were around 100 children at the daycare, half of whom are believed to have been maltreated. AFP

Erika Rismay, whose daughter was attending Little Aresha, put up a TikTok video saying her daughter’s hands and feet had been tied and her mouth covered. "Why was your mouth covered?" Erika asked the girl. "So I wouldn't cry. So Mummy wouldn't hear me crying," the young girl replied.

"Oh Allah, my child, forgive me," Erika wrote in the video's caption. "No wonder every day when you left for school you always cried hysterically, and when you came home you were silent and spaced out, like you had been hypnotised."

Noorman paid about 1.1 million rupiah ($64 / Rs. 6,056.96) — half the minimum wage in Yogyakarta — for each of his two children to attend the centre, which has since been shuttered. His oldest child, a daughter now aged six, stopped going recently. She sometimes came home with bruises, which the daycare centre said she must have got elsewhere while playing, Noorman recalled.

His son had been repeatedly hospitalised with pneumonia, which the father now suspects may have had something to do with him being made to sleep on a cold floor without clothes. "I am very angry, furious," Noorman said. "They must be punished as severely as possible."

Under Indonesia's child protection law, the suspects risk up to five years' imprisonment and a 100 million rupiah fine. Local councillor Eko Suwanto has urged the government to take harsh action against those responsible.

“There must be no tolerance for violence against children. This case must be fully resolved through the legal process. We urge investigators to uncover everything. The masterminds and perpetrators of these crimes must face severe punishment, because violence against children and toddlers is an extraordinary crime,” Eko was quoted as saying by the Jakarta Globe.

This isn’t the first time a daycare in Jakarta has come under fire. In 2024, a daycare centre in Depok city found itself at the centre of controversy after security camera footage showed a woman mistreating two toddlers.

The Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) then launched a probe that found that under 20 per cent of the over 100 daycare centres in Jakarta were licensed. The KPAI has found that there are around 3,000 unlicensed daycare centres across Indonesia.

FAQs

1. What is the Little Aresha daycare scandal about?

It involves allegations of child abuse at a daycare centre in Yogyakarta, where children were reportedly tied up and neglected.

2. How many people have been arrested in the case?

So far, 13 individuals, including caregivers and management staff, have been arrested.

3. What punishment could the accused face?

Under Indonesian law, they could face up to five years in prison along with significant fines if convicted.

With inputs from agencies