Being in the army is a proud feeling. A feeling that you’re doing something for your country and for the people in it. But getting selected into the forces is a task in itself and requires persistent efforts from the cadets. And every country has its own selection procedure. For instance, there was a time when Indonesia had something called a ‘virginity test’ for all women army cadets. But recently, it was scrapped since it was unethical and quite sexist, to be honest.
Recently, on Tuesday, the Chief of staff of the Indonesian army said that they have scrapped the age-old practice of virginity tests for women army cadets and women military recruits. These virginity tests were not just for female applicants but also for the women who were marrying army personnel.
The fact that Indonesia had virginity tests for women army cadets was exposed by Human Rights Watch in 2014. According to their findings, these tests have been used since 1965 – even after the National Police clearly stated that the recruitment process should be “nondiscriminatory” and “humane.” And even though the National Police had stopped the practice of virginity tests in 2015, the Indonesian military still continued with it.
The Human Rights Watch in their report has commented that virginity-testing practice is discredited worldwide and is also a form of gender-based violence. In fact, it was only last month that the Indonesian Army Chief General Andika Perkasa said in a teleconference with Indonesian military commanders, that the medical examination requirements of female cadets should be similar to that of male cadets. The Army Chief General of Indonesia also added that the applicants should only be tested only on their physical abilities.
The Army Chief General Andika Perkasa of Indonesia also sent out units that would ensure that the prospective brides who are marrying army personnel do not go through a virginity test. Even the former Health Minister of Indonesia Nila Moeloek came out and spoke against the practice of virginity tests in 2015. She said that she had “doubts on its necessity, accuracy, and merits.”
When Indonesia finally scrapped the virginity tests for women army cadets and female military applicants, the decision was welcomed and celebrated by many of the right activists and organizations. The Indonesia researcher and author at HRW Andreas Harsono took to his Twitter and tweeted, “The army command is doing the right thing. It is now the responsibility of territorial and battalion commanders to follow orders, and recognize the unscientific, rights-abusing nature of this practice. Increased pressure also needs to be focused on the top commanders of the navy and the air force to follow the army’s lead, and end this practice.”
And it is not only him who spoke about it, many activists came out and spoke about how Indonesia finally made a wise, humane decision and scrapped the virginity tests for women army cadets. Even though Indonesia has taken this step, there are still 20 other countries that are religiously carrying ahead this practice. In all honesty, it is not just discriminatory but also extremely degrading to a woman. A woman’s virginity has and should have nothing to do with whether she is physically fit to be in the military/army or not. And it’s high time we recognize that.