The Indonesian navy and air force face renewed calls to cease invasive “virginity tests” for female recruits after the country’s army indicated it would abandon the decades-long practice.
Indonesia’s security forces have faced years of pressure to end the procedures, which they have defended as a way to select the best candidates. An Indonesian woman speaks of her shock at finding out the 'virginity test' needed to enter the military was to be conducted by a male doctor.
News of the direction to army commanders has been welcomed by Human Rights Watch, which in 2014 first uncovered the extensive use of the check-up by the Indonesian military after interviewing women who said they were traumatised by the examination. The tests, which involve a doctor inserting fingers into the vagina of a female applicant to determine if the hymen is broken or not, have no scientific merit, according to the World Health Organisation.