KBRN, Jakarta: Indonesian House of Representatives Commission XIII lawmaker Rieke Diah Pitaloka has stressed the urgent need for law enforcement against child grooming in Indonesia, warning that the issue concerns the future of children and must not be normalized.

She praised actress Aurelie Moeremans’ courage in sharing her personal story in the e-book Broken Strings: Fragments of a Stolen Youth, calling it a significant step toward raising awareness. Rieke said the memoir illustrates how child grooming can happen to anyone, including Indonesian children.

“How her youthful years were destroyed, not merely stripped away, is indicated in this memoir, which is based on her real-life story. This can happen to anyone, including our children,” Rieke said during a Commission XIII hearing with the National Human Rights Commission and the National Commission on Violence Against Women at the Parliament Building in Jakarta on Thursday, January 15, 2026.

She lamented the state's lack of a firm stance on the case, which has been widely discussed by the public. According to her, neither the National Human Rights Commission nor the National Commission on Violence Against Women has provided a comprehensive response.

Rieke explained that child grooming is a systematic and deliberate modus operandi leading to sexual violence, involving the gradual development of emotional closeness, trust, and dependence on the victim.

She also criticized indications that perpetrators are openly defending themselves in public, warning that such actions risk normalizing sexual abuse against children through various justifications.

“There are indications that the perpetrators are defending themselves as if to normalize violence against children. There is persuasion, marriage, indications of sexual violence, and so on, which I think is quite sadistic,” she said.

Rieke emphasized that Indonesia already has legal instruments in place, including child protection and sexual violence laws, as well as the new Criminal Code. She called for strict enforcement and sanctions in accordance with these regulations.

Meanwhile, National Commission for Child Protection (KPAI) Commissioner Ai Maryati highlighted the growing prevalence of child grooming in the digital space. She said the pattern described in Broken Strings aligns with KPAI’s findings on online sexual exploitation.

“First, there is trust between the victim and the perpetrator at the beginning. Then it escalates to aspects of how they control and manipulate the child,” Ai said at the KPAI Office in Jakarta on Thursday, January 15.

She explained that such relationships are often disguised as romantic or loving, serving as the starting point for exploitation. Ai stressed that in relationships involving children, there is no valid concept of consent.

She added that child grooming now takes various forms, including sexting, paid livestreaming, and the distribution of sexual content. “This is a huge field for exploitation in the virtual world, and the targets are children,” she said.

KPAI has urged both local administrations and the central government to provide accessible complaint, assistance, and recovery services for children. Victims, Ai said, must feel safe and confident to report incidents. (Gusti Panji/Lasti Martina)