This week, the Indonesian military decided to exclude a number of tests that were not carried out for recruitment purposes, including the “virginity test” of female soldiers, which has long been controversial.
Speaking to reporters, said Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Army, General Andica Persaka, that there will be tests genital organs are fully in the future, including the examination of the vagina and cervix.
On the other hand, Persaca emphasized the addition of more stringent checks for recruitment purposes, including colour blindness.
And Perasca had announced, published in Antara news, in July, that females in the army should undergo the same tests as males, alluding to the virginity test.
He said at the time that the examinations should be carried out on the basis of the required job, related to military training and the tasks assigned to soldiers.
According to Human Rights Watch(hrw.org ), virginity testing falls under the umbrella of gender-based violence, describing it as a “widely discredited practice .”
The examination involves inserting two fingers into the vagina, to assess whether the woman has had sex before.
The World Health Organization has confirmed for years that there is no such thing as a virginity test.
The World Health Organization had criticized the Indonesian police for virginity tests in 2014, which the police later stopped, and the army is still implementing.
