Indonesian army says it has stopped ‘virginity tests’ on female cadets

The so-called ‘two-finger tests’ have been called systemic, abusive and cruel by human rights campaigners.

the army chief of staff said the selection process for male and female recruits must be equal. (Via REUTERS)

Human rights groups have welcomed the announcement that the Indonesian army has ended the controversial practise of virginity tests on women cadets.

The army’s chief of staff confirmed on Tuesday that such tests, which involved doctors checking the hymen of female recruits to determine whether or not they’d had penetrative intercourse, no longer took place in the army.

The so-called “two-finger tests” have been denounced by activists and campaigners for years. The Indonesian army previously said the tests were important in deeming the morality of new recruits, but New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW), which conducted multiple investigations into the practice, said the test was systematic, abusive and cruel.

Andy Yentriyani, head of the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) said “there was never any need for the tests,” and the World Health Organisation has said the tests have “no scientific validity.”

Addressing reporters, Indonesian army chief of staff Andika Perkasa said: “Whether the hymen was ruptured or partially ruptured was part of the examination ... now there’s no more of that.”

He said the army selection process for male and female recruits must be equal.

The navy and airforce also denied the existence of virginity tests in their recruitment process, however, a spokesperson for the navy said pregnancy tests were conducted.

An airforce spokesperson said female reproduction tests were undertaken to check for cysts or other complications.

Speaking after the announcement, Andreas Harsono, Indonesia researcher at HRW said it was “the right thing to do”, adding the practice was “degrading, discriminatory, and traumatic”.

He said HRW had spoken to more than 100 female military recruits who underwent the tests, one of whom said she was subjected to it in 1965.

Reuters