SCHOOLGIRL

Rape victim jailed for abortion

On May 30, 2018, a seven-month-old foetus was found at an oil palm plantation near Pulau village in Jambi province. Police identified the mother as a 15-year-old girl, who had been raped eight times by her 18-year-old brother since September 2017. He had threatened to beat her if she refused sex. Police arrested the two, as abortion is illegal in Indonesia – except in cases of medical emergency, and in rape cases if the pregnancy is in its first 40 days. The siblings went on trial together on July 9 at Muara Bulian District Court, defended by the same lawyer. On July 19, the girl was sentenced to six months in jail for an illegal abortion, while her brother was given two years for sexual abuse of a minor. The presiding judge was Rais Torodji. The siblings were sent to the same prison. After complaints by human rights groups, the girl’s sentence was overturned by Jambi High Court in August.