Indonesia's Military Defends Its Virginity Test For Women Recruits

A human-rights group urged Indonesia to abolish its practice of performing a “two-finger” virginity test on women who wish to join the military, but government officials insisted that the procedure is an essential tool for keeping “naughty” women out of the armed forces. In a scathing review, Human Rights Watch described the invasive examinations, which are required by the goverment, as a form of “gender-based violence” that fly in the face of science. The organization also said that the tests, in which male medics check to see if a woman’s hymen is intact, violate international treaties that Indonesia has ratified. The Indonesian military promptly fired back, claiming the virginity tests were a necessary health check for female recruits. “We need to examine the mentality of these applicants,” an Indonesian military spokesman told the Guardian. “If they are no longer virgins, if they are naughty, it means their mentality is not good.” The spokesman continued: “We will continue to carry out the test because to be a military person, the most important thing is your mentality. Physical and intellectual requirements are secondary.” In February, Indonesian officials scrapped a proposal to require female high-school students to pass virginity tests in order to graduate, Reuters reported. They later apologized after sparking a public outcry.