The Yogyakarta City Police have named 13 suspects in a child abuse case at a daycare center in Yogyakarta, Little Aresha. The suspects include the foundation head, the school principal, and 11 caregivers charged under multiple child protection articles. The case has drawn significant public attention, particularly as the childcare institution has been operating for approximately four years.
A lecturer at the Faculty of Psychology of Universitas Gadjah Mada (Psychology UGM), Diana Setiyawati, Ph.D., described the case as a serious alarm for all parties, including families with similar experiences and policymakers. She noted that abusive practices at the daycare were allegedly driven by economic motives and unhealthy work systems. She explained that nannies or caregivers often occupy vulnerable positions under workplace rules and pressures from superiors. In certain conditions, individuals may normalize actions that violate humanitarian values in the name of work efficiency.
“The motive could be economic, to make it easier to manage children while being able to ‘care’ for many of them at once,” she said on Monday (May. 11).
Abuse undoubtedly has significant psychological impacts, especially when the victims are infants far below the age of understanding. Setiyawati explained that babies are not yet able to express fear or discomfort. They cry to express their negative emotions. When adults fail to understand this or instead attempt to silence the baby’s emotions, the baby may internalize those feelings.
“For example, when a baby cries after being hit, they may later learn to hide their emotions. In fact, crying is their way of showing what they feel,” she explained.
Diana added that the psychological impact on infants also depends greatly on the form of abuse and the sequence of events, making it essential to understand the chronology.
For infants who have experienced abuse as well as those who are psychologically healthy, a warm, safe, and loving environment is fundamental. According to Setiyawati, babies need a secure environment so that the fear they have experienced does not develop into permanent trauma. A supportive ecosystem, including responsive parents and caregivers, plays an important role in the recovery process. Healthy emotional relationships from an early age help children build self-confidence and emotional stability as they grow.
“Babies need to be given a warm environment, to be held, loved, and made to feel safe to help heal trauma,” she said.
The UGM psychology expert also shared her personal experience working part-time at a daycare while studying in Australia. The experience, she noted, demonstrated efforts to create a safe daycare environment for children and infants.
“When I worked part-time at a daycare, the government regularly conducted inspections of childcare services. The normalization of harsh behavior in caregiving institutions can occur when there is no strong oversight system,” she explained.
Diana emphasized that responsibility cannot be placed entirely on childcare institutions. Active government involvement is needed to supervise and certify childcare workers. The Little Aresha case serves as a reminder that child safety must be the top priority in every childcare institution, including creating a safe ecosystem for children through collaboration among various parties.
Author: Ika Agustine
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Rajendra Arya
Photo: Magnific