14-Year-Old Beaten Up And Sexually Assaulted By 12 Girls Over Facebook Comments
A petition for #JusticeForAudrey has received over three million signatures.
By Katrina Khairul Azman — 10 Apr 2019, 05:03 PM
A hashtag called #JusticeForAudrey has become the top trending topic in Indonesia following an alleged assault on a 14-year-old student from Pontianak, West Kalimantan
On 29 March, 12 female high school students ganged up on the victim, Audrey, over Facebook comments that she wrote about a boy, Coconuts Jakarta reported.
The posts concern her cousin, who is the ex-boyfriend of one of the assailants.
Angered by comments that Audrey wrote, the group of 12 friends went to the victim's house to take her out for a "chat"
West Kalimantan Child Protection Services Deputy Head Tumbur Manalu told Kompas that they brought her to a quiet park where they took turns assaulting her.
According to reports and a viral Twitter thread, the 12 girls smashed Audrey's head against a pavement, choked her, kicked her in the face, stomach, and genitalia
One week after the incident, on 5 April, Audrey told her parents about the assault
The victim and her parents have since reported three of the 12 alleged culprits.
The investigation into the case is still ongoing, Coconuts Jakarta reported.
She was taken to a hospital in Pontianak to treat her head and chest injuries on Monday, 8 April.
Outraged netizens took to social media to call attention to Audrey's case, and emphasised the need for appropriate punishment despite the young age of the assailants
At the time of writing, a Change.org petition urging the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) and the Regional Child Protection Commission (KPPAD) to seek justice for the victim has received over three million signatures.
