conduct virginity tests to students upon enrolling in junior high school and high school. The same recommendation was made by the Regional Representative Council of Jember in 2015. In 2013, the Education Department of Prabumulih, South Sumatra recommended conducting virginity tests to high school students, and even incorporating it to the regional budget plan. Sports In December 2019, a gymnast from East Java was banned from competing at the 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines due to virginity rumors. The controversy sparked protests from Indonesian activists and various women's rights organizations. Media coverage The Jakarta Post, first reported on 21 August 2013 about the planned virginity tests in Sumatra. The story was picked up by western outlets such as The Guardian and Huffington Post The plans were cancelled after protests. The Human Rights Watch first reported on November 17, 2014 about "painful and traumatic" virginity as a requirements for Indonesia's National Police and released a video of the women interviewed. This sparked an international outcry with extensive coverage. One day later Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno, (minister for politics, law, and security) confirmed that virginity test have long been mandatory for applicants of the military, namely the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI). Three days later, the head of the National Police, Moechgiyarto defended the test stating the women have to live up to high moral standards and would not accept candidates if they turn out to be "prostitutes". Response Doctors in Indonesia have stated that virginity testing doesn't have scientific basis. So when they are demanded to do virginity testing, they only describe the condition of the hymen. They are not legally and medically allowed to judge what has happened to the hymen. In May 2015, the European Commission declared virginity testing a "discriminatory and degrading practice," supporting Indonesian health minister Nila Moeloek, who has publicly opposed the tests, having "doubts on the necessity, accuracy and merits of such tests as a requirement to recruit young policewomen". In 2017, an Indonesian judge, Binsar Gultom, published a book that suggested virginity testing to soon-to-be-married couples, insisting that it could lower the nation's divorce rate. The book recommended "preventive and repressive measures from the government" to non-virgin fiancées. References Physical examination Sexuality and society Women in Indonesia Virginity Controversies in Indonesia Legal disputes Sexual controversies