Indonesian Police Arrest 13 in Alleged Abuse at Yogyakarta Childcare Center

Erika Rismay posted a TikTok video of her daughter recounting being tied up and having her mouth covered at Little Aresha, with the video viewed more than 300,000 times. In the video, the child said her mouth was covered 'so I wouldn't cry. ' Erika wrote in the caption, 'Oh Allah, my child, forgive me,' noting her daughter cried hysterically before school and returned silent and spaced out.

Noorman, a civil servant, received a frantic phone call from a friend during the raid, urging him to pick up his children. 'We were then shown a video of the raid, showing the children with their hands and feet tied up, with no clothes and only wearing diapers,' Noorman told BBC Indonesian.

' 'Behind all this, we didn't expect that the children at the daycare would be treated so poorly,' Noorman said.

He noted his children seemed perpetually hungry despite packed lunches, with his son struggling to gain weight. 'Why is it that every day when he gets home, he always complains that he's still hungry, asking for food, a drink, milk,' Noorman said. ' Noorman and his wife hope for a thorough investigation and maximum punishment.

'It's inhumane. We've been entrusting him to the centre,' Noorman said. ' The Yogyakarta government called for thorough psychological and physical assessments for the alleged victims. Trauma healing services will be available to parents of victims, authorities said.

Yogyakarta mayor Hasto Wardoyo vowed to inspect the rest of the city's childcare centers and raise public awareness about verified services. On Sunday, a lawmaker urged a full investigation into Little Aresha. The case echoes a 2024 incident in Depok city, south of Jakarta, where a daycare center came under scrutiny after viral security camera footage showed two toddlers being mistreated by a woman.

The Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) found that less than 20% of more than 100 daycare centers in Depok city were licensed. There are around 3,000 childcare centers across Indonesia, according to KPAI. Many are unlicensed, such as Little Aresha.