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| Indonesian Muslim Girls in classroom - Photo: News.com.au |
A plan to introduce virginity tests for high school girls
has been dropped after Muslim clerics disapproved the idea and Human Rights
organizations criticized the plan.
The plan requires high school girls to be tested for
virginity and if a girl fails the test, they will not be eligible for graduation.
After announcing the plan and receiving negative feedback from watch dogs and Islamic
decision makers, the Indonesian government officials withdrew the plan and
issued an apology.
The Jember City Council in East Java, Indonesia explained
that the proposals were conceived as part of an effort to instill responsible
behavior among teenage girls and curb the spread of sexually transmitted diseases
like HIV .The proposed legislation comes at a time when the number of high
school students with HIV has increased in the province, with 10% of infected
people being students. The officials are already concerned about the prevalence
of pornography in the region, prompting the authorities to launch an initiative
dubbed “emergency situation against porn”.
It’s not only City authorities that want to instill good
behavior among young girls, but a local political party , NAP (National
Awakening Party) intends to implement
virginity tests in the whole province of East Java, a region with more
than 2.3 million people. A Lawmaker from the party, Mufti Ali, says the
proposed legislation will prevent teenage girls from engaging in pre-marital
sex, out of fear of facing the consequences. He says the tests cannot be
applied to boys, but girls will refrain from having sex and reject the advances
of boys in order to avoid the punishment of not being allowed to graduate.
Although it’s clear the officials want to enforce moral behavior
and values among girls, the World Health Organization does not reason along
this perspective, it says the tests have no medical value. The Asian Human
Rights Watch group also supports the claims of WHO and adds that the
legislation would violate the rights of young girls and women.
The legislation has been presented to the Muslim Clerical authority,
which is a significant decision-maker in local affairs. They too have rejected
the idea, citing its conflicts with Muslim teachings.
Virginity tests are not a new thing in Indonesia. Young
women and girls who wish to join the military or police force are required to
take a virginity test. It seems the government wants to expand the practice to
learning institutions.
Source – Habib Isa
Mahdi/Jakarta Globe
Photos – MailOnline
UK / News.com.au / Ann.az
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