Indonesia’s army scraps invasive ‘virginity tests’ on female recruits
- The military had said the two-finger test was a way to weed out possible cadets whose past sexual behaviour could damage its image
- The World Health Organization said the procedure lacks scientific validity and was not a reliable indicator of prior sexual intercourse
The military had long defended the unscientific “two-finger test” to check if a cadet’s hymen was intact as a way to weed out recruits whose past sexual behaviour, they said, would damage its image.
The National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) welcomed the news – calling the tests “discriminatory and intrusive” – but cautioned they needed evidence the tests had ended.
Army chief of staff Andika Perkasa said on Thursday that the tests, which had been standard practice for decades, had been abolished earlier this year but did not specify a date.
“Previously, it was part of the assessment (for female recruits), but now we are no longer doing it,” he told reporters in Balikpapan on Indonesia’s section of Borneo island.
“The army always tries to learn and improve things within the organisation,” he added.