Indonesian Army Says Has Stopped 'Virginity Tests' On Female Cadets

"Two-finger tests", where doctors check the hymen of female recruits to try to determine their virginity, was systematic, abusive and cruel, according to the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW).

The Indonesian army has ended a controversial practice of virginity tests on women who apply to become cadets, according to its chief of staff, a move welcomed by activists who have long campaigned against it. "Two-finger tests", where doctors check the hymen of female recruits to try to determine their virginity, was systematic, abusive and cruel, according to the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW), which conducted investigations in 2014 into the practice and in 2017 renewed calls for it to end. The military previously said the tests were important in determining recruits' morality. The World Health Organization has said they have "no scientific validity" and the appearance of a hymen was not a reliable indicator of intercourse. Andika Perkasa, the Indonesian army chief of staff, told reporters on Tuesday that such tests no longer took place in the army.