The child abuse case at Little Aresha daycare in Yogyakarta has revealed layers of issues that have long remained hidden within Indonesia’s early childhood care system. This phenomenon cannot merely be understood as an individual act of violence, but also as a matter closely related to the quality of childcare services, caregiver preparedness, and family support systems.
In a discussion forum, developmental psychology expert and alumnus of the Faculty of Psychology at Universitas Gadjah Mada, Dr. Okina Fitriani, S.Psi., M.A., Psychologist, explained that the case can be viewed through four root problems: the perpetrators, the supervision system, the child victims, and the parents themselves.
“From the perpetrators’ perspective, this is clearly a crime that was not spontaneous, but rather organized and systematic; there were instructions involved, and the caregivers themselves should have recognized that this behavior was abnormal,” she explained.
From the perspective of supervision systems and policymakers, Okina emphasized that early childhood caregiving must have clear standards. According to her, such standards are crucial because caregivers bear the responsibility of understanding the boundaries of safe childcare practices. Even under pressure or instructions from others, caregivers must recognize that certain actions are unacceptable in the context of caring for young children. The government also needs to conduct regular supervision of existing daycare centers.
This issue becomes even more significant when considering the condition of daycare services in Indonesia. The Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection (KemenPPPA) recorded that only 30.7% of daycare centers in Indonesia possess operational permits. In the City of Yogyakarta alone, 37 daycare centers were licensed, while 33 were operating without permits.
“This is actually not only about violence, but also about weaknesses within the system,” she stated.
Amid the increasing number of working parents who rely on daycare services, the quality of childcare systems becomes highly decisive. Daycare centers are part of a child’s developmental ecosystem. However, when aspects such as licensing, curriculum, caregiver training, and supervision are not fulfilled, childcare services are not yet being treated as developmental infrastructure. She added that the government needs to establish a system that allows parents to easily access information regarding daycare licensing.
From the perspective of children as victims, early childhood development is a critical stage for building cognitive abilities, personality formation, and future self-quality. However, when violence occurs, the long-term risks are significant.
“When violence occurs against children aged 0–3 years, the effects are often implicit. At this age, intervention becomes much more challenging,” she said.
The impacts of cases like this make detection and intervention more difficult because the signs that emerge are often indirect. This aligns with findings in academic journals explaining that young children are often unable to verbally express negative experiences or may not yet understand that what they experienced constitutes abuse.
“In this case, the parents are also victims—specifically victims of deception by an institution. From this case, parents need to be more aware of warning signs. So far, parents often assume that if there are no bruises or visible injuries—especially since in this case the children were tied with soft cloths—it means nothing is wrong. Even without physical signs, if a child says things that raise concerns, we need to quickly investigate further,” she explained.
In this situation, the role of parents becomes crucial, especially in developing sensitivity toward such signs and in preparing appropriate daycare arrangements. Reactions such as increased anxiety, refusal toward certain situations, or changes in eating habits and emotional patterns may indicate discomfort that requires further attention.
When parents discover that their child has undergone inappropriate experiences, the process often creates not only concern for the child’s condition but also emotional pressure on the parents themselves. Feelings of guilt, regret, and confusion in responding to the situation frequently emerge after the incident comes to light. Therefore, parents’ mental health also needs attention throughout the legal process.
“The mental health of parents and legal assistance must go hand in hand. This is a traumatic event: the challenge is how to reduce feelings of guilt and how to regain focus,” she explained.
Okina concluded by emphasizing that if the aspects concerning perpetrators, systems, children, and parents can all be strengthened collectively, similar cases can hopefully be prevented in the future.
In response to this situation, the Faculty of Psychology at Universitas Gadjah Mada has opened a Crisis Center hotline service (+62 821-3768-0588), accessible free of charge, as a form of psychological support for parents and families affected by daycare violence cases.
Writer: Arrasya Aninggadhira
Editor: Osi Livia S
Illustration: Pavel Danilyuk – pexels.com