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Medan, Indonesia – It was very difficult for every parent.
While the six grieving families looked on, the father accused of raping their daughters was sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Regional Court in Medan, Indonesia.
“Our children,” said the mother of one of the children who fell from a chair, which caused her to faint.
Benyamin Sitepu, a 37-year-old Christian priest and headmaster of the Galilean Hosanna School in Medan, received a sentence of five years more than the 15 years required by the prosecutor.
The presiding judge stated that the decision was based on the priest’s decision because the priest had apologized for his wrongdoing and had signed an agreement with the two families of the victims.
Both the trial and the Steppe are appealing the decision.
Responding to the verdict, Andreas Harsono, a human rights researcher at Human Rights Watch Indonesia, told Al Jazeera that the sentence was too short, mainly due to the Step Stage and Indonesian pardon system where most inmates are about two-thirds of their sentence.
If Steps is pardoned, he can serve up to seven years in prison and be free within 50 years.
“If he is pardoned, he will be a young boy when he is released and he will still be a danger to children,” said Harsono, who added that a brief prison sentence would only add to the pain of victims.
Ranto Sibarani, a human rights lawyer in Medan who represented the families, said he was disappointed that Steppe had not been severely punished and called on religious organizations to take action on cases involving civil society.
“If people commit wrongdoing under the church flag, for example, the church should apologize,” Sibarani told Al Jazeera.
“Religious leaders should be able to say openly that they agree with the law on all matters of sexual violence and that they support the rights of victims to take action.”
The junior school in Medan became the center of sexual harassment in March 2021, when six female students came after someone told her grandmother she had been abused by a priest.
The girls, who were 13 years old at the time of the terrorist attacks, claimed that Steppe secretly locked them in his office for teaching “special lessons” such as ballet and mistreated them.
One of the students says Steppe took him to the hotel, told the school staff that he was taking her to a karate class where he was raped, and forced to have oral sex with her.
When the student returned, he was made to take police from the hotel to a room where he was frequently beaten – which Harsono and Sibarani criticized as adding to his frustration.
Sibarani added that, in his opinion, Indonesian judges were reluctant to convict religious leaders or give them a lengthy prison sentence based on historical evidence of respect for religious authority.
New punishment
It was a difficult time in Indonesia in recent months by a number of disturbing child rape cases are making headlines across the country, most of them religious organizations.
In Bandung, West Java, the head teacher of a Muslim boarding school, Herry Wirawan, 36, was arrested and charged with raping 13 of her students and aborting at least eight of them from 2016 onwards.
On January 11, the prosecutor’s office asked for his death if Wirawan was found guilty.
Family lawyer Ranto Sibarani has asked for the sentence to be commuted, especially since Steppe is only 37 years old. [Aisyah Llewellyn/Al Jazeera]Under Indonesian law, the maximum sentence in cases of child rape is usually 15 years, although judges may use their discretion to render judgment if the case appears to be more serious.
The prosecutor also called for the release of Wirawan in favor of a new law signed by Indonesian President Joko Widodo last year following the brutal rape of a 14-year-old student in Bengkulu in 2016. The sentence has not yet been implemented. .
On January 20, Lukas Lucky Ngalngola, known as ‘Brother Angelo’, a Catholic priest caring for orphans living outside Jakarta, home to more than 40 children, was jailed for 14 years for abusing children in his care.
In his ruling, the presiding judge, Ahmad Fadil, spoke of the 47-year-old priest’s “disgusting conduct” and said that his conduct was a shock to a religious leader who should have set a good example and should have known. that his actions were contrary to religious teaching ”.
After the judge handed down his verdict on video for the coronavirus epidemic, Ngalngola raised his hands in prayer.
Sibarani said: “They feel invincible, hiding from their religion. “Who can stand before the victims when the culprits are considered the most important men in the community?”
Ustadz Martono, an Islamic scholar and chairman of the United In Diversity Forum, told Al Jazeera that insulting cases involving Indonesian religious organizations or religious leaders are often handled internally for fear of embarrassing the organizations represented by the leaders.
“My wish is for such cases to be held freely,” he said. “They should be treated fairly in accordance with the law.”
Last year Indonesian President Joko Widodo signed a new anti-trafficking law for child sex offenders. The courts have not yet applied the sentence [File: Willy Kurniawan/Reuters]Members of the Christian congregation also acknowledge that there is much work to be done, and that religious organizations, speaking publicly, can help government officials to reduce the risk of being arrested and prosecuted.
“We support and appreciate what the police and prosecutors have done in dealing with Benjamin Steppe’s case in Medan and punishing the perpetrator,” Alex Ramandey, deputy secretary general of the Indonesian Christian Youth Movement (GAMKI), told Al. Jazeera.
Especially if the perpetrator was a church member who has shamed Christians. ”
Ramandey added that religious organizations should provide training to the parents of guardians on how to identify and report such cases and to assist law enforcement agencies.
It is not known how many cases affect young children in Indonesia each year, as most cases are not reported to adults.
According to the Indonesian National Association of Jehovah’s Witnesses (LPSK), 288 children applied for protection in 2021.
LPSK vice-chairman Edwin Partogi Pasaribu said 25 victims had been subjected to sexual harassment in schools.
“We should respect people in line with their religious beliefs, but they should also be judged by their actions,” said Martono.
“If people break the law, they should not be religious leaders. We should not be ashamed to keep silent.
“Morally, we all have a responsibility and must accept such cases and not conceal them.
“If we don’t say anything, we are united.”
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