HRW denounces female virginity tests in Indonesian armed forces

Jakarta, Nov 22: Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Wednesday denounced the continuation of virginity tests for female applicants in the Indonesian Army and Police.

The virginity test, also called the two-finger test, was first denounced by HRW in 2014 as cruel, humiliating and discrimitory, although some military and police officers justify it for moral and mental health reasons, Efe news reported.

“The Indonesian government’s continuing tolerance for abusive ‘virginity tests’ by the security forces reflects an appalling lack of political will to protect the rights of Indonesian women,” said Nisha Varia, women’s rights advocacy director at HRW.

The intertiol organisation has also documented cases of virginity testing in the security forces of other countries such as Egypt, India and Afghanistan. (IANS)