Indonesia wants more women as police. But only if they're virgins.

[Metaphor]

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/wor...ected-to-virginity-tests-20141118-11oa8q.html

Bolding mine

Jakarta: Young female police recruits in Indonesia start their careers with what's called the "two-finger test" to assess if they are virgins.

Indonesia's new women officers are required to be single and virginal, but the digital penetration test the police medical officers use as part of their physical examination leaves them feeling traumatised and humiliated, according to interviews conducted recently by Human Rights Watch.

In 2010, the then-head of police personnel, Brigadier General Sigit Sudarmanto, announced that the invasive testing procedure would stop. But still the National Police job recruitment website confirms that: "In addition to the medical and physical tests, women who want to be policewomen must also undergo virginity tests".

...

"We were asked to take off our clothes, including our bras and underpants. It was humiliating. Only those who were menstruating could keep their underpants on. We were asked to sit on a table for women giving birth. A female doctor did the virginity test ... the 'two-finger' test … It was humiliating."

The test is a discredited procedure that purports to assess whether a woman's hymen is intact.

A director of women's rights group Nurani Perempuan, Yefri Heriyani, is quoted in the report saying the test had left many police women traumatised.

"It will affect their lives in the long term. Many of them blame themselves," she said.

A former police psychologist, Sri Rumiati, said she had objected to the testing in 2010, but her colleagues had replied: "Do we want to have prostitutes joining the police?"

A police spokesman told Fairfax Media that both new male and female recruits were required to be unmarried because they had to "change their character from civilian to semi-military mindset". They can marry after two years in the force.

But it is only women's virginity that is tested.

...

Indonesia's predominant religion is Islam, and, even though pre-marital sex is common, officials and religious leaders still place a high value on female virginity. A South Sumatra school district last year proposed administering a virginity test on its new high school students.

About 3 per cent of Indonesian police officers are female, but the National Police plans to increase this to about 5 per cent with an unprecedented mass recruitment drive, in which 7000 female cadets have undergone a special seven-month training program.

But remember, it has nothing to do with Islam.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

And someone athletic enough to be a cop has a reasonable chance of breaking their hymen without sex.

 

[Derec]

But it is only women's virginity that is tested.

How would you even test a man's virginity?

As Loren pointed out, the test is not very reliable, but there is enough of a test to unfortunately become ingrained in cultural practices.

This reminds me what former Senator from SC Jim DeMint once said about how gays and sexually active single women should not be teachers.
Jim DeMint Criticized Over Comments on Gay and Sexually Active Teachers
At least he didn't say anything about virginity tests.

 

[Metaphor]

This reminds me what former Senator from SC Jim DeMint once said about how gays and sexually active single women

Active? What if you just like to lie there?

 

[EricK]

But it is only women's virginity that is tested.

How would you even test a man's virginity?

Ask a load of science fiction questions?

This reminds me what former Senator from SC Jim DeMint once said about how gays and sexually active single women should not be teachers.
Jim DeMint Criticized Over Comments on Gay and Sexually Active Teachers
At least he didn't say anything about virginity tests.

Both this and the OP seem to be rather uncomplimentary about men - if you're prepared to have sex with a man, there must be something wrong with you.

 

[Axulus]

An intact hymen acts as a bullet proof shield, which is essential for the job, didn't you know?

 

[ZiprHead]

This reminds me what former Senator from SC Jim DeMint once said about how gays and sexually active single women

Active? What if you just like to lie there?

Then you're just lazy and not qualified to be a cop.

 

[Nexus]

But remember, it has nothing to do with Islam.

Indonesia is one of those highly lauded moderate Islamic countries so this shouldn't be a problem.

 

[laughing dog]

Maybe Indonesia really doesn't want more woman police.

 

[Valjean]

Canberra Times
A former police psychologist, Sri Rumiati, said she had objected to the testing in 2010, but her colleagues had replied: "Do we want to have prostitutes joining the police?"

Perhaps if the culture allowed women easy access to 'legitimate' jobs they wouldn't need to resort to prostitution.
Maybe Jakarta could reduce prostitution and 'immorality' by offering hookers jobs in the police Dept. Win/win.

 

[KeepTalking]

Canberra Times
A former police psychologist, Sri Rumiati, said she had objected to the testing in 2010, but her colleagues had replied: "Do we want to have prostitutes joining the police?"

Perhaps if the culture allowed women easy access to 'legitimate' jobs they wouldn't need to resort to prostitution.
Maybe Jakarta could reduce prostitution and 'immorality' by offering hookers jobs in the police Dept. Win/win.

Or perhaps if the culture did not equate "is not a virgin" with "is a prostitute", then people would not make ignorant statements like "Do we want to have prostitutes joining the police?"

But that is probably too much to ask.

 

[EricK]

Canberra Times
A former police psychologist, Sri Rumiati, said she had objected to the testing in 2010, but her colleagues had replied: "Do we want to have prostitutes joining the police?"

Perhaps if the culture allowed women easy access to 'legitimate' jobs they wouldn't need to resort to prostitution.

I was sure that sentence was going to end with "joining the police."