Compensation brought some consolation for two sexually abused altar boys in Indonesia this week as Christians and other groups ramped up their battle against injustice and discrimination.
Indonesian Catholic schools move to tackle sexual abuse
High-profile cases prompt educators, govt to team up to provide better protection for children from predators
Andy Yentriyani, chairwoman of the National Commission on Violence Against Women, and Franciscan Father Vinsensius Darmin Mbula sign an MoU on April 8 to tackle sexual abuse in schools. (Photo supplied)
A high-profile sexual abuse case in which altar boys in Depok on the outskirts of Jakarta were assaulted by a church worker was a wake-up call for Indonesia’s Catholic schools to look at ways to better protect students from such predators, according to educators.
The case the first involving sexual abuse within the Indonesian Catholic Church brought to a civil court saw the perpetrator, Syahril Marbun, jailed for 15 years for raping two altar boys.
Indonesian church worker jailed for molesting altar boys
Syahril Marbun handed 15 years following first sexual abuse trial in a civil court involving Indonesian Catholic Church
Victims’ families and supporters pray the rosary while attending the trial of Syahril Marbun at Depok District Court in West Java, Indonesia. Marbun was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Jan. 6. (Photo supplied by Azas Tigor Nainggolan)
A church worker in Indonesia has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for sexually assaulting altar boys following the first-ever sexual abuse trial in a civil court involving the Indonesian Catholic Church.
Depok District Court in West Java convicted Syahril Marbun on Jan. 6 for abusing two altar boys at St. Herkulanus Parish in Depok in Bogor Diocese, where he served as liturgical coordinator.