Reuters AlertNet Lite - Indonesia district drops school virginity test plan

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Indonesia district drops school virginity test plan

20 Aug 2007 03:48:32 GMT
Source: Reuters

JAKARTA, Aug 20 (Reuters) - A plan to carry out virginity tests on female high school students in a district in Indonesia's West Java province has been dropped after a public outcry, media reports said.

The head of Indramayu district, Irianto Syafiuddin, is reported to have made the proposal for virginity tests after a video showing two high school students having sex circulated via mobile phones.

"Because many people oppose it, we cancelled (the plan)," Syafiuddin was quoted as saying by online news service Detik.com.

Syafiuddin could not immediately be contacted, but according to media reports he will look for an alternative way to prevent students from engaging in pre-marital sex.

Students, parents and activists viewed the planned virginity tests on thousands of high school students in the district as a violation of human rights, the Jakarta Post said.

"We can't accept this idea. It's unfair as the porn video was just an isolated case," a female student, Gita, was quoted as saying by the Post.

Many in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, place high value on virginity, although pre-marital sex is not uncommon among the younger generation.

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Last updated:Mon Aug 20 03:49:50 2007