How Many Students Are Bullied in Indonesian Schools?

An elementary school student in Tasikmalaya, West Java, recently died after being forced to have sexual intercourse with a cat by his friends. This bullying incident allegedly caused the victim severe depression, leading to illness and ultimately death.

The police have named three of the victim's friends as suspects in this case. However, the three suspects cannot be detained because they are underage.

"So, later (the suspects) will be returned to their parents under supervision," said the Head of Public Relations of the West Java Regional Police, Senior Commissioner Ibrahim Tompo, as reported by *Detik.com* on Tuesday (26/7/2022).

Although tragic, this case is just one example of the many bullying phenomena occurring among Indonesian children.

During the 2016-2020 period, the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) received reports from 480 children who were victims of bullying at school, with details as shown in the graph.

According to KPAI, this bullying problem needs to be addressed collaboratively by many parties, starting from parents, family, and teachers at school.

"The phenomenon of exposure to very repressive violence enters children's lives through various media. Of course, in this era, there is a need for schools to assess the mental state of each student," explained KPAI Commissioner Jasra Putra on the official website.

(Also Read: [This is the Number of Children Who Are Perpetrators of Violence in Indonesia](https://databoks.katadata.co.id/datapublish/2022/07/29/ini-jumlah-anak-anak-yang-jadi-pelaku-kekerasan-di-indonesia))