Human rights organizations have welcomed the Indonesian army’s apparent decision to end the “virginity testing” of female recruitments.
The procedure is known in Indonesia as “the two-finger test,” because during the examination the doctors would insert two fingers inside the woman’s vagina to check whether the hymen is still intact. Those declared not to be a virgin would be rejected for recruitment.
In a teleconference with military commanders across Indonesia, Army Chief of Staff General Andika Perkasa signaled the end of the practice and said that women would be recruited in the same way as men.
Recruits would be chosen on their ability to follow the army’s education process, Perkasa said in an excerpt from the teleconference uploaded to the Indonesian army’s official YouTube account on July 18.
“There will be no more [medical] examination outside that purpose,” Perkasa said. “There are things that are not relevant and [we] can’t do that kind of examination any more. We must do the same examination on the women recruits like we do on the men recruits.”
Human Rights Watch said that the changes Perkasa stated in the conference referred to the “abusive, unscientific and discriminatory ‘virginity test’ that all branches of the Indonesian military have used for decades for female recruits.”
It was reported that the Indonesian navy and air force would follow the army’s lead.
Human Rights Watch researcher Andreas Harsono said that the army was doing the right thing.
“It is now the responsibility of territorial and battalion commanders to follow orders, and recognize the unscientific, rights-abusing nature of this practice,” Harsono said.
The proposed end of testing was welcomed by Indonesian women.
Anindi, who underwent the test 23 years ago as a hopeful 18-year-old naval recruit in Yogyakarta, recalled her devastation at being rejected, despite scoring high marks in other tests.
“It will be a breakthrough if they end this test,” said Anindi, which is not her real name. “Even if it’s just for the army. Because it was a derogatory procedure for women.”
She said that her father was in the navy and he dreamed that one of his children would follow in his footsteps.
However, Anindi, who was not a virgin, told the female doctor to stop when it was her turn.
“I did not want to be groped without my consent. So, I told her to stop and told her that I was not a virgin,” Anindi said. “I’m not afraid that she would find out that I was not a virgin, but because I was uncomfortable. That is the price for female recruits to enter the military — that trauma.”
Human Rights Watch interviewed women from all over Indonesia who had been through the test, concluding that it was “a nationwide practice.”
Harsono also said that they interviewed a woman who was subjected to the test in 1965.
“It means this unscientific, abusive and discriminatory practice has been going on for more than five decades,” he said.
Alim Qibtiyah, a commissioner at the National Commission on Violence Against Women, said that she was still waiting for the policy switch to be made official, but said it could mean more opportunities for women to join the military.
Ten percent of the country’s 450,000 armed services personnel are women.
“It will open more opportunities for women,” Qibtiyah said. “They will be confident and comfortable that they will be accepted because of their qualities. It’s not fair that women were demanded to prove their morals [through the virginity test], while for the men recruits? How do you prove that?”
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