There’s hope for humanity, after all.
A student in Tegallalang, Gianyar who recently stole cash from a temple to pay off her past-due tuition fees is likely to be off the hook, as the police have expressed their desire to resolve the case using a restorative justice approach.
Tegallalang Police Chief I Ketut Sudita said that the 15-year-old girl, identified by her initials as ESP, told the authorities that after stealing IDR170,000 (US$11.45) from a sesari (donation box) in a temple in Sebatu Village on Monday, the money was immediately used to pay off her tuition fees.
“[She] paid IDR170,000 so she can attend a training program at school. [If she didn’t] pay, [she] wouldn’t be able to participate in the training,” Sudita said.
ESP has confessed to breaking the sesari and grabbing the cash. She told authorities that being unable to pay her tuition made her feel embarrassed in front of her friends.
According to the police, ESP’s parents are divorced and they left her under the care of her grandparents when she was four. Each parent has remarried.
“[ESP’s] grandmother has passed away and the grandfather is a farmer who often falls ill,” Sudita said.
Sudita said that the police has scheduled a meeting between village leaders and child protection agencies this coming Monday to find amicable solutions for everyone involved in the case.
“We’re doing the best we can,” said Sudita, who has also pledged to personally cover all of ESP’s tuition fees until she graduates.
