Bripka Samsul Risal traced the missing 17-year-old high school student only to target her later
Police officer Samsul Risal who reportedly raped a girl under his care in Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province. (Photo: supplied)
A police officer has been named a suspect after he reportedly raped a girl under his care on a predominantly Catholic island in Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province.
Bripka Samsul Risal, the officer at the West Manggarai Regency on Flores Island, was declared a suspect on June 15 by the criminal investigation unit.
Risal was charged with the Child Protection Law, which carries up to 15 years in prison and dismissal from service, said Ridwan, head of the local police’s criminal investigation unit, who goes by his first name.
"From the witness, the evidence is sufficient for him to be named a suspect and detained," Ridwan said.
The case was reported to the local police after the parents of the 17-years-old girl – a student at a public high school in the regency's capital Labuan Bajo - reported the case to the Women's and Children's Protection House, managed by the Congregation for Servants of the Holy Spirit.
Sister Frederika Tanggu Hana, head of the shelter, told UCA News that initially the victim was reported missing, so her parents lodged a police complaint in early April.
Risal then managed to trace the girl and escorted her to her parents' house. Later, he asked the girl to live with his family in Labuan Bajo and promised to meet all her needs, including school fees.
However, Risal took the victim to a rented house and raped her on April 8, said Sister Hana.
"The victim struggled to resist, but was unsuccessful because the perpetrator pushed her and covered her mouth so she didn't make a sound," she said.
Risal threatened to kill the victim if she told her parents about it.
Two days later, the victim fled to her parent's house.
The victim's father said he was very disappointed as the perpetrator was a police officer who they believed was a protector of vulnerable people, including children.
He further alleged that Risal visited their house and was putting pressure on the family to withdraw the report.
"Because we didn't want to, he even threatened to report us back to the police," the father said.
Sister Hana wanted the case to be overseen by various parties, "remembering that the perpetrator is a police officer and those who handle the case are also the police."
"There is already an allegation that police were a bit slow in processing it after this case was reported in April," the nun said.
Indonesia continues to witness cases of sexual violence against children.
The National Commission on Violence Against Women reported that about 340,000 cases of violence against women and children were recorded in 2021, about a 50 percent increase from 2020.
The rise in gender-based violence prompted the parliament to pass the Sexual Violence Crimes Law in April 2022.
The law sets out nine different types of sexual abuse – physical and non-physical sexual abuse, forced contraception, forced sterilization, forced marriage, sexual torture, sexual exploitation, sexual slavery, and sexual abuse through electronic means.
Sister Hana said she hoped police would also use laws relating to sexual violence, not only child protection laws in this case.
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