You will get surprised to know for recruitment into the Indonesian police force, women have to pass a test and guess what test is it? It is a virginity test. The women in order to join police forces in Indonesia are not only required to be virgin but ‘pretty’ also.
Do you know this virginity test is conducted by inserting two fingers inside the vagina to check if the hymen is broken or not! This test is called the ‘two-finger test’. It is against Human Rights. This virginity test has unleashed a backlash from protestors. They described the tests as degrading, discriminatory, traumatizing, and humiliating. An associate women’s rights director at Human Rights Watch, Nisha Varia, stated that,
“So-Called Virginity Tests Are Discriminatory And A Form Of Gender-Based Violence – Not A Measure Of Women’s Eligibility For A Career In The Police. This Pernicious Practice Not Only Keeps Able Women Out Of The Police But Deprives All Indonesians Of A Police Force With The Most Genuinely Qualified Officers.”
Virginity tests are no longer official in the recruitment process but it is still practised and is a crucial part of the procedure. But the question is, why they get performed by the police authorities for recruitment? Here’s the answer by HRW (Human Rights Watch) Indonesia researcher Andreas Harsono:
“It’s An Old Practice Based On The Belief That A [Female] Virgin Is Healthier And Morally Fitter.” A police official, Rusdianto, who is the head of the health centre at the police headquarters in Jakarta also gave the reason for conducting these painful and humiliating tests on women while talking to a leading news website:
“All Tests Are Meant To Get “The Best” Applicants. It’s Not Only A Virginity Test, But It’s Also A Genital And Urinary Examination To Check For Diseases And Infections.”
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