'Hands and feet tied up': Indonesia police probe alleged abuse at childcare centre

'Hands and feet tied up': Indonesia police probe alleged abuse at childcare centre47 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleQuinawaty Pasaribu,BBC Indonesian,Liza Tambunan,Jakarta correspondentandKoh EweAndri Prasetiyo/BBC IndonesianAuthorities say at least 53 children at Little Aresha, a childcare centre in Yogyakarta, are believed to have been abused or neglectedWarning: this piece contains descriptions of alleged child abuse.For years, Noorman had entrusted his two young children to Little Aresha, a daycare centre near his home in the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta which advertises its well-equipped facilities and variety of play activities.So it came as a shock last Friday when the civil servant got a frantic phone call from a friend. Police were raiding the daycare centre, his friend said, go pick up your children right now."We were then shown a video of the raid, showing the children with their hands and feet tied up, with no clothes and only wearing diapers," Noorman told BBC Indonesian.The raid lifted the lid on an alleged culture of abuse within the walls of the centre, which authorities say have involved dozens of children under its care, in a case that has gripped the nation.The Yogyakarta police have accused 13 people - including the centre's principal, the head of the Little Aresha Foundation and its caregivers - of multiple child protection offences.The investigation has also prompted further scrutiny of the country's childcare centres, many of which authorities say are not properly licensed.How it came to lightThe raid at Little Aresha came after a former employee lodged a police report claiming that children had suffered inhumane treatment at the centre.Police, who raided the centre last Friday, said they found evidence of the alleged mistreatment: children whose hands and feet were tied, or who had injuries.Police also found several tiny rooms measuring about 3m (10ft) wide, each crammed with as many as 20 childre...