Arifah Fauzi, Minister of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection, issued a statement regarding the discovery of hundreds of weapons, narcotics and pornographic CDs at a private school in Pondok Pinang, Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta. Arifah expressed concern over the findings and hoped the school would ensure students could continue to learn in good and safe conditions.
Arifah asked all parties to protect the children's privacy and not stigmatise them because of the case or media coverage. She stressed that children should not become victims of problems that are not their responsibility.
The minister urged the school to conduct a thorough inspection of rooms and facilities and strengthen supervision to ensure the education environment remains safe. Arifah also asked all parties to respect the police investigation process and not pre-empt the results of the examination.
The Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection will coordinate actively with the police, the Jakarta Education Office, and the Jakarta Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Office to monitor the handling of the case and ensure child protection aspects are maintained. Arifah suggested the school could implement a Child-Friendly Education Unit system and provide psychosocial support for students, educators and parents in need.
The discovery of weapons began when several people entered a room belonging to the former head of the school foundation on 10 and 11 July because the room was to be used for student purposes. Hermawanto, the school's legal counsel, said 995 pieces of weapons were found including firearms, ammunition and other weapon accessories. On the evening of 5 August, when the school reopened another room, several firearms, drugs and pornographic CDs were found again.
