Indonesia: Medical Groups Silent on Abusive Virginity Tests
March 7, 2018 12:00AM EST
On International Women’s Day, End Cruel, Unscientific Practice
(New York) – Indonesian medical associations should publicly denounce so-called virginity tests obligatory for female applicants to the Indonesian National Armed Forces and National Police, Human Rights Watch said in letters sent on February 20, 2018. Virginity testing is a form of gender-based violence and has been widely discredited, including by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The Indonesian Society of Obstetrics & Gynecology and the Indonesian Medical Association should issue public statements condemning “virginity testing” and demand that Indonesia’s police and military cease inflicting it on female applicants. Neither association has formally responded to Human Rights Watch’s calls that they pressure the police and military to stop “virginity tests.” By ending “virginity testing,” the Indonesian government would be abiding by its international human rights obligations and honoring the goals of International Women’s Day on March 8.
“Medical associations should put Indonesia’s armed forces and police on notice that ‘virginity tests’ are a form of violence against women – not a credible medical practice,” said Nisha Varia, women’s rights advocacy director. “The groups should also inform their members that any physician who inflicts ‘virginity tests’ on women or girls violates the medical principle of ‘do no harm’ and may face professional discipline.”
Senior military and police officers with knowledge of the “virginity testing” policy told Human Rights Watch that security forces continue to impose these cruel and discriminatory procedures, which are officially classified as “psychological” examinations, for “mental health and morality reasons.”
More:
https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/03/07/indonesia-medical-groups-silent-abusive-virginity-tests
