An 11-year-old girl previously barred from taking national examinations in East Java because she was pregnant was allowed to take the tests on Tuesday after it was revealed she had been raped.
After drawing the ire of government officials and women’s rights activists by banning the girl because of her condition, the head of the Education Office in Mojokerto district, Muhammad Talqin, said that in light of the new information the girl was now being allowed to take the elementary school exams.
“She’s healthy and is taking the national examinations today,” he said on Tuesday.
The girl, who is six months pregnant, had been raped by a 30-year-old neighbor last year, Talqin said.
He said the victim, whose parents divorced several years ago and whose mother died in 2009, was living with her grandmother and was being assisted by local child protection officials.
The girl’s suspected rapist, who has not been identified, is in police custody.
However, even though the girl has been allowed to take the exams, Talqin said she would be placed in a separate room away from the other students.
Masruchah, deputy chairwoman of the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan), told the Jakarta Globe that the government should have policies in place to ensure that pregnant students were not barred from taking national exams.
“Discriminating against a student for any reason should never be allowed,” she said.
“Whatever their condition — as long as it doesn’t disturb their activities — they should be allowed to do the test.
“The Ministry of National Education should issue a decree guaranteeing that students, whether pregnant because they were raped or otherwise, should be allowed to take the national exams.”
Ibnu Hamad, a spokesman for the ministry, said its hands were tied when it came to enforcing policies such as that.
“The prevailing regulations are clear that elementary school students fall fully under the jurisdiction of local administrations,” he said.
Education officials in each region, he added, are allowed to set their own standards according to local cultural leanings.
“All we can do is try to find a way to compromise, and one way is to urge parents to fully support their children to continue their studies,” he said.
“There are still many parents out there who force their children to get married before graduating from school.”
( x the JG)
wo 11 mei 2011 - 2:16