YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia (Reuters): An Indonesian court began a trial on Tuesday for 11 daycare staffers alleged to be involved in a high-profile case of abuse against children in their care, as the chairperson of the daycare faced a separate hearing.
Drawing widespread public ire, the daycare centre in the city of Yogyakarta was raided by police in late April, when dozens of children aged 2 to 6 were found with their hands and feet bound together. Some were tied to doors.
Caregivers at the Little Aresha daycare in Yogyakarta were among those on the stand on Tuesday, with the court attended by the parents of victims, some of whom wore pins that read, "We fight for our kids".
Prosecutors at the Yogyakarta court charged the caregivers with neglect and abuse of children, they said in a live-streamed hearing.
The caregivers allegedly did not give the children proper food, dunked some children's heads in a bathtub, and tied their legs with a rope for misbehaving, and were also accused of a series of other acts that caused emotional disturbances and sleep disorders, prosecutors said.
There were 144 child victims, they said. In a separate hearing, prosecutors charged daycare chairperson Diyah Kusumastuti with directing the caregivers in their alleged actions and of operating the daycare without a licence from 2022 to 2026.
Imedia Dwi Anjani, a 38-year-old representative for the parents, said on Tuesday that some of the children remain scared of meeting new people and are prone to aggression.
"My hope is that those who have been named suspects can get the maximum punishment," he said.
Yogyakarta police said they had named 32 people as suspects in the case.
Reuters could not immediately contact the defendants' legal representatives for comment.
Children's rights advocates have described the case as one of the most significant child-abuse scandals in recent Indonesian history, and it sparked front-page headlines and condemnation throughout the country.
In Indonesia, convictions for child abuse and neglect carry maximum sentences of five years' imprisonment and a 100 million rupiah ($5,600) fine.
Indonesia has thousands of child daycare centres, although the concept is relatively new in the country, where children are traditionally looked after by their extended family.
($1 = 17,845 rupiah) (Reporting by Budi Satriawan in Yogyakarta and Stanley Widianto in Jakarta; Editing by David Stanway) -- Reuters
