Poet’s Sex Assault Case is Result Of Abuse of Power, Activists Say

Poet’s Sex Assault Case is Result Of Abuse of Power, Activists Say

By Bayu Marhaenjati on 8:50 am December 3, 2013.


The recent case of the alleged sexual molestation by renowned poet Sitok Srengenge of a 22-year-old university student had occurred as the result of an abuse of power by the accused, an official said.

“The abuse of power to receive sexual services in his position is a form of sexual abuse,” National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) commissioner Arimbi Heroepoetri said in a statement on Sunday.

Investigators from the Jakarta Police’s general crimes unit on Monday confirmed it was preparing an investigation process for Sitok.

“Investigators are preparing administrative [documents] for the investigation,” Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto said on Monday, adding that investigators would be questioning the person who had filed the report as well as other witnesses before summoning Sitok.

Sitok was reported to the Jakarta Police for “unpleasant conduct” by a student from the University of Indonesia, identified by police only as R.W., whom he allegedly molested and impregnated.

The victim’s lawyer, Paulus Irawan, said Sitok had forced the victim to have sex with him. Sitok, 48, whose real name is Sitok Sunarto, was accused of refusing to take responsibility after the victim disclosed that she was pregnant.

Sitok has not responded to the case, but his daughter Laire Siwi Mentari has denied that her father raped the victim, claiming the sexual engagements were consensual.

Despite “forgiveness from [his] wife and family, as well as any promise from S.S. [Sitok] to take social responsibility for the case, it will not minimize his legal responsibility for the crime he has allegedly committed,” Arimbi said.

She emphasized that sexual exploitation was different from sexual abuse, adding that the two were among 15 types of sexual violence haunting Indonesian women.

The other types of sexual violence include sexual slavery, forced prostitution, forced abortion, attempted rape, sexual molestation and rape.

From data received by the commission, at least 35 women in Indonesia become victims of sexual violence on a daily basis.

In 2012, Arimbi said the commission recorded 4,336 cases of sexual violence against women, with four of the most common types of violence being rape and sexual molestation with 1,620 cases last year, attempted rape with eight cases last year, sexual harassment with 118 cases and 403 cases of human trafficking.


Jakarta Globe