According to Muhammed Rasyid, an Education Chief in South Sumatra, virginity tests "protect children from prostitution and free sex." But who will protect the same young female students from the violation of a mandatory virginity test?
Mr Rasyid's plans would require young women aged from 16 to 19 to have their hymen checked every year until graduation. Young male students on the other hand would face no such physically intrusive enquiry or indeed any sexual investigation.
It is the third proposal of its kind in Muslim majority Indonesia. The Islamist Prosperous Justice Party told the Jakarta Post that "virginity is sacred, thus it's a disgrace for a [female] student to lose her virginity before getting married."
Stand up for the dignity of women and tell Mr Rasyid his plans are a disgrace and must be stopped.
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