Indonesian army stops virginity tests on female cadets

The Indonesian Army’s chief of staff announced Wednesday that “virginity tests” on female cadets will no longer be conducted. The test entails someone inserting their fingers into a cadet’s vagina to apparently assess if they have had sex, according to the World Health Organization.

In 2014, Human Rights Watch highlighted Indonesian forces’ exploitation of these tests. According to Human Rights Watch, the police have stopped using the examinations, but the government has not stopped using them in the military. The practice, according to the organization, is a form of gender violence that is “abusive, unscientific, and discriminatory.” However, Indonesian Army Chief of Staff Andika Perkasa said in an interview with reporters on Wednesday that the army needs to “continuously improve every year,” including in terms of its recruitment process.

“Previously, we examined the abdomen, genitalia, and pelvis, vagina, and cervix in great detail,” Perkasa stated. “These examinations are no longer necessary, especially when it comes to the hymen, if it has been ruptured and the amount of the rupture.”

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The military, according to the head, is putting a greater emphasis on testing for colour blindness, spinal abnormalities, and heart problems.

“The goal of the examinations is now more focused on guaranteeing that the recruit will be able to have a healthy life and will not meet any medical concerns that may result in death,” Perkasa explained.

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The organization spent many months in 2014 investigating the country’s police force’s regulated practice. Human Rights Watch interviewed eight policewomen and their applications, as well as police medics and others.

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The “virginity” test was not an official element of the obstetrics and gynecology exam needed of female police cadets, but it was a long-standing practice that was part of the physical exam, according to two senior policewomen. “Entering the virginity test examination room was incredibly unpleasant,” one lady described the 2008 testing to Human Rights Watch. “I was afraid that after the test, I wouldn’t be a virgin any more.” It genuinely hurt.

In 2015, Human Rights Watch published the findings of a military investigation. The mandatory exam was described as unpleasant and distressing by all of the 11 women interviewed by the organization, including cadets, significant others of military members, and a doctor.

“In 2013, I applied to the Bandung Military Academy. Medical examinations were required of all new recruits. The ‘virginity test,’ for example, is one of them “Human Rights Watch spoke with a female military academy applicant. “What surprised me was learning that the doctor who would do the test was a male. I felt conflicting emotions. I was embarrassed. It was a tense situation. Everything is jumbled up… Every woman’s rights are violated.”

In 2018, the World Health Organization issued a warning on the dangers of “virginity testing,” claiming that the procedure is unsupported by scientific data.

“The presence of a hymen is not a reliable indicator of intercourse, and there is no known examination that can demonstrate a history of vaginal intercourse,” the WHO stated. “Moreover, the practice violates the victim’s human rights and is linked to both immediate and long-term consequences that are harmful to her bodily, psychological, and social well-being.”

According to WHO, the effects of undergoing the tests, particularly the two-finger testing, can be long-lasting.

In addition to being “painful and upsetting,” the exam can harm genitalia and cause bleeding and infection.

According to the group, Indonesia is one of several countries where it is a “long-standing practice,” including Afghanistan, Brazil, South Africa, and Northern Ireland.