Women looking to become police officers in Indonesia are reported to have to undergo an invasive “two-finger” virginity test and be “pretty” as a part of the recruitment process.
Key points:
- Virginity testing female police recruits continues despite pressure to end the practice
- Policewomen must also be “pretty” and subjected to a list of physical standards
- The policewomen are often deployed in high visibility roles such as public relations
Despite the tests not being recorded or on the books as an official requirement, it is still conducted throughout the country under the guise of a “morality or physical examination”.
Andreas Harsono from the Human Rights Watch said Indonesian police believe that society will not accept a female police officer who has an active sex life or used to be a sex worker.
“The logic is that they only want good girls to be police officers,” he said.
The test is conducted by inserting two fingers into the vagina to see if the woman’s hymen is still intact — a method which has long been criticised as invasive while also not being able to accurately determine a woman’s virginity either.
Indonesian woman Zakia — whose last name is not included to protect her identity — told Human Rights Watch in a complaint obtained by the ABC that she had failed her test when she applied to become a police officer earlier this year.
Indonesian women are subjected to high standards of beauty and a “virginity test” before joining the force. (Facebook: Ditjen Imigrasi)
Zakia claimed the virginity test she was subjected to was not conducted by a medical doctor.
“They didn’t just insert their fingers into my vagina, but also into my anus. They kept probing … it was extremely painful,” she said.
“Every time I remember what happened, I cry … I feel like I don’t want to live anymore.”
Zakia was a martial arts athlete who said that over the years she has had to do many splits and other exercises which may have ripped her hymen.
“Once, I fell and my vagina hit a block of wood, but I don’t know whether my hymen broke,” she said.
“My mother told me not to worry about it … but I told [the police officers interviewing me] that I remember feeling great pain in my vagina due to the fall — after that, the interview was over,” she said.
Zakia said she was intimidated by the officers to “come clean” and insisted she was a virgin — she did not get accepted to the second round of the selection process.
‘We consider these cases of sexual violence’
Virginity testing is no longer officially allowed in Indonesia following international pressure from human rights groups over the years, but a study published this year by Sharyn Graham Davies from the Auckland University of Technology found vaginal and hymen examinations to still be a key part of police recruitment.
Anisha, a 27-year-old policewoman in Dr Davies’ study, said she believes the testings should continue.
“The test shows that we as women can protect ourselves and therefore we are capable of protecting other people,” she said.
Mr Harsono claims that the practice is also rife in the Indonesian military, where he said some 70 per cent of the medical staff who conduct the tests are male doctors.
The topic of ‘polwan cantik’ or ‘pretty policewomen’ is commonly reported in local Indonesian media. (Supplied: Detik News.)
“Many military generals believe that the hymen is like a clock, if the hymen is torn between 11:00am to 2:00pm it’s mostly because of physical activities … but if the hymen is torn at 6:00pm it means the woman has an sexual life,” Mr Harsono said, detailing the unscientific mentality and justifications often given after the procedure.
“We consider these as cases of sexual violence.”
The justification given for the tests is to ensure that only women who are morally fit join the police and the military.
Senior members of the Indonesian police force as well as Government officials have been contacted for comment but did not provide a response.
‘People like pretty things and respond well to them’
Along with virginity testing, Dr Davies said candidates must be in excellent physical health and emotional well-being with a beautiful appearance and a strong religious belief.
“They must also have a ‘notably good body and a pretty face consistently complemented by a heartfelt smile’,” her study reads.
Body measurements, including bust size, are also recorded by male police, and female recruits parade in front of a male selection committee where their beauty is judged.
Policewomen are considered have different essential capabilities from policemen as women are “considered more nurturing and caring”, while men are tasked with more physically demanding roles.
A screenshot of a #polwancantik, meaning #prettypolicewomen, on Instagram with more than 189,000 posts. (Supplied: Instagram)
Women must also be unmarried for the first two years and must attain a permission letter from their husband once married.
As they age, Indonesian policewomen no longer fit the mould of the virginal beauty expected from them, disqualifying them from public profile roles.
Indonesian policewomen were rarely visible prior to 2013 but their prominence has grown since being deployed in socially visible fields such as traffic coordination and media spokespersons.
The recent deployments seem to justify the belief that female police officers are required to maintain a certain level of beauty to facilitate positive relations between the police force with the public.
Local media and social media have also weighed in on the phenomenon, often with the hashtag #polwancantik meaning “pretty policewoman” which has been used more than 189,000 times on Instagram.
Dr Davies said deploying “pretty policewomen” in high visibility roles is considered as a public relations exercise to reform the image of the “corrupt policeman”, rather than to push the narrative of a pure and pious female force.
“People like pretty things and respond well to them — policewomen are no different,” she said.
“It’s been effective [but] in a short-sighted way.”
