The director of a foundation working with children in Bali has been arrested and named a suspect of child abuse, for allegedly sexually assaulting young boys whom his organization had been working with.
The allegations cover a span of as much as 10 years.
Identified by his initials in local reports, NS, 47, is accused of sexually assaulting four boys from as early on as 2007.
NS had been working as the director for the Karangasem-based, children’s support organization, YA-BAI, according to Bali Police Superintendent Sang Ayu Putu Alit Saparini of police’s special sub-directorate on crimes involving women and children.
Investigators had been on the case from as early as June 13, 2017 and finally had enough evidence to make an arrest on Aug. 15, thanks to tips from the public, says Saparini. One of the victims had reportedly come forward to the board of the foundation about the alleged abuse.
The four alleged victims were just between the ages of 13 and 15 at the time of the incidents, Saprani said from Bali Police headquarters on Monday.
Police say NS performed the assault in several places including houses in Gianyar and Singaraja, as well as the foundation’s offices in Karangasem and Singaraja, and other locations in Denpasar and Singaraja.
Bali Police is currently coordinating with the board of YA-BAI to investigate and work with the child victims.
The alleged victims along with 22 other witnesses have been interviewed by police, though police say they are still seeking additional witnesses. The suspect is said to be undergoing a psychiatric examination.
The amount of cases involving pedophilia in Indonesia is high and Bali is one of the main targets, says Ni Luh Gede Yastini, head of the Commission for Local Child Protection (KPPAD) Bali.
Too often, pedophiles are drawn to pockets of poverty and more rural areas, says the director.
Immigration has made it a mission to scan foreign arrivals for visitors with records of child-abuse-related crimes, though it’s not just foreigners we should be weary of, something this case sure highlights, says Yastini.
Helping spark Immigration’s clampdown was Australian senior Robert Andrew Fiddes Ellis, who made international headlines when he was sentenced to 15 years by a Bali court in October 2016 over sexually assaulting a number of children in Bali. Ellis lured young girls to his place of residence in Tabanan, Bali with cash, food, and clothes, in return for bathing them before sexually abusing them.
“Child predators are not just foreign nationals, but also local people, even donors under the guise of a foundation,” she said, as quoted by Republika.
NS is facing charges carrying 15 years imprisonment, under Article 76E, Article 82 paragraph 1 of Law no. 35 of 2014, the amendment of Law no. 23 or 2002 on Child Protection, Article 289 of the Criminal Code, according to Saparini.
