physics

Virginity testing in Indonesia

Virginity testing in Indonesia is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Virginity testing in Indonesia rather than just read about it. In short: In Indonesia, virginity tests were performed as a requirement for joining the police and military force. Tests have been performed since 1965.

Key takeaways

Virginity testing in Indonesia belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Virginity testing in Indonesia to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Virginity testing in Indonesia from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

In Indonesia, virginity tests were performed as a requirement for joining the police and military force. Tests have been performed since 1965. It has since been condemned internationally and domestically by news outlets and human rights organisations. In August 2021, the Indonesian Army stated that it would no longer continue this practice for female recruits, and was formally announced by the Indonesian Army Chief of Staff General Andika Perkasa.

Legal basis The 1999 human rights law in Indonesia bans discrimination against women. The UN Human Rights Office called for ban of virginity testing, viewing the practice to be medically unnecessary, often painful, humiliating, and traumatic. Despite international pressure, Jokowi's government has not initiated legislation to end virginity testing.

Virginity testing in different fields

Police Chief Police Regulation No. 5/2009 outlines the Guidelines for Police Candidates. Article 36 requires female applicants to an "obstetrics and gynecology" examination, without specifying further. Tests are conducted by the Police Medical and Health Center (Pusat Kedokteran dan Kesehatan) using the "two-finger test". The Indonesian National Police jobs website stated in 2014, that, "In addition to the medical and physical tests, women who want to be policewomen must also undergo virginity tests. So all women who want to become policewomen should keep their virginity." The official letter containing the order to stop the tests has been sent in 2014 and its gradually being implemented, however it may still be performed on regional areas.

Military The Indonesian National Armed Forces also has been conducting this practice, as confirmed by its deputy head of the Health Center, Andriani. The test isn't only required for female applicants, but also for the fiancées of its personnel. They carry out the test to "ensure the health of the body and the spirit of these women." High-ranking officials have deemed the test to be relevant, as it measures "the personality and mentality of the person," and linked non-virgin women to bad habits as opposed to military personnel who are supposed to "protect the nation."

Discontinuation In August 2021, Indonesian Army Chief of Staff General Andika Perkasa has officially announced that the Army will no longer conduct virginity testing for female recruits. The Navy and Air Force have already stopped these tests as well previously.

Schools Several attempts have been made to make virginity testing compulsory in school applications across Indonesia. In 2010, the Regional Representative Council of Jambi made a recommendation to conduct virginity tests to students upon enrolling in junior high school and high school. The same recommendation was made by the Regional Representative Council of Jember in 2015. In 2013, the Education Department of Prabumulih, South Sumatra recommended conducting virginity tests to high school students, and even incorporating it to the regional budget plan.

Sports In December 2019, a gymnast from East Java was banned from competing at the 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines due to virginity rumors. The controversy sparked protests from Indonesian activists and various women's rights organizations.

Media coverage The Jakarta Post first reported on 21 August 2013 about the planned virginity tests in Sumatra. The story was picked up by western outlets such as The Guardian and Huffington Post The plans were cancelled after protests. The Human Rights Watch first reported on November 17, 2014, about "painful and traumatic" virginity as a requirements for Indonesia's National Police and released a video of the women interviewed. This sparked an international outcry with extensive coverage. One day later Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno, (minister for politics, law, and security) confirmed that virginity test have long been mandatory for applicants of the military, namely the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI). Three days later, the head of the National Police, Moechgiyarto defended the test stating the women have to live up to high moral standards and would not accept candidates if they turn out to be "prostitutes".

Response Doctors in Indonesia have stated that virginity testing doesn't have scientific basis. So when they are demanded to do virginity testing, they only describe the condition of the hymen. They are not legally and medically allowed to judge what has happened to the hymen. In May 2015, the European Commission declared virginity testing a "discriminatory and degrading practice," supporting Indonesian health minister Nila Moeloek, who has publicly opposed the tests, having "doubts on the necessity, accuracy and merits of such tests as a requirement to recruit young policewomen". In 2017, an Indonesian judge, Binsar Gultom, published a book that suggested virginity testing to soon-to-be-married couples, insisting that it could lower the nation's divorce rate. The book recommended "preventive and repressive measures from the government" to non-virgin fiancées.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Virginity testing in Indonesia

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Virginity testing in Indonesia claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Virginity testing in Indonesia before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Virginity testing in Indonesia ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Virginity testing in Indonesia

In research: Virginity testing in Indonesia appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Virginity testing in Indonesia in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Virginity testing in Indonesia is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Controversies in Indonesia, Indonesian National Police, Military of Indonesia, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Virginity testing in Indonesia outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Virginity testing in Indonesia in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Virginity testing in Indonesia means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Virginity testing in Indonesia out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Virginity testing in Indonesia in simple terms?

In Indonesia, virginity tests were performed as a requirement for joining the police and military force. Tests have been performed since 1965.

Why does Virginity testing in Indonesia matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Virginity testing in Indonesia?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Virginity testing in Indonesia.