The Mataram Child Protection Agency (LPA) in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), has reported the head of an Islamic boarding school in the area over allegations of sexual violence against three female students.
The case was first reported to the West Nusa Tenggara Regional Police in 2025. However, due to insufficient evidence, the report was not pursued. The Mataram LPA then worked with the BBC, the UK's public service broadcaster, on a series of investigations that ultimately produced enough evidence to convince them to report the case to police again.
Mataram LPA Chair Joko Jumadi said the organisation had received reports about the case between 2023 and 2024. In early 2025, around February, they filed a report with police.
"But the evidence we received at the time was still insufficient," Joko said about why the case had progressed slowly.
Seeking a way forward, Joko and the Mataram LPA conducted a joint investigation with the BBC, a UK broadcaster, to gather more evidence. After the BBC report aired, other alleged victims who had not previously come forward began to speak out.
On 21 September, the report was finally processed. The Mataram LPA received additional evidence and then provided it to police.
The organisation had focused on two things over the past few years, Joko said.
"One was finding evidence. The second was supporting the victims, because some of them were still hesitant about coming forward," Joko said.
"So it wasn't that we stopped and did nothing. We continued trying to gather more evidence and support the victims, so we could be absolutely confident that the case could proceed once we made it public," he said.
The biggest challenge was the victims' psychological well-being, Joko said. Two of the victims were also studying in Egypt, which complicated the police process. He said he had to convince police that the case could still be investigated even though the victims were overseas. Another victim, whose case was identified as having relatively strong evidence, was initially unwilling to report it.
Through its collaboration with the BBC, the Mataram LPA became confident it could pursue legal action. Several factors contributed to this decision, including a recording in which the alleged perpetrator appears to admit to the offence. Efforts to encourage other alleged victims to come forward also began to produce results.
"And after this film came out and was published, six more people approached us. The police have already interviewed them," Joko said.
This was a very encouraging development because alleged victims who had previously remained silent were beginning to find the courage to come forward, Joko said.
The case was a clear example of what is known as the "iceberg phenomenon", Joko said. After the BBC investigation was released and widely reported by other media outlets, other alleged victims were prompted to speak out.
The BBC also played a significant role in encouraging the alleged victims in Egypt to speak, Joko said. Public attention to the case also prompted people to comment on social media and express support for the alleged victims, helping them feel more confident about speaking out.
In Lombok, NTB, religious figures of this kind are known as Tuan Guru, while in Java they are known as kiai. They hold considerable social and political influence in their communities.
His experience handling 23 similar cases over the past four years showed how difficult it can be when allegations involve a Tuan Guru, Joko said. People often refuse to believe that such religious figures could commit sexual violence, while female Islamic boarding school students are frequently blamed instead, he said. There was also often strong pressure from government and political figures to stop such cases from proceeding, he said.
"Socially, they are highly respected by the community. You could say a Tuan Guru is treated almost like a demigod," Joko said.
Politically, Tuan Guru can influence local politicians' ability to gain community support. It was therefore not surprising that when such cases emerged, many local figures defended the Tuan Guru involved, Joko said.
Extraordinary stories could also emerge when allegations involved a Tuan Guru, Joko said. In one case, after a Tuan Guru was imprisoned, some people reportedly believed that the person behind bars was a jinn who had taken on the alleged perpetrator's appearance.
"They believed the real person was actually in seclusion on Mount Rinjani," Joko said.
Some people also refused to believe the allegations because they believed the sexual violence was part of a spiritual test for the Tuan Guru to become a wali, or a religious figure considered to have attained a higher spiritual status, Joko said.
"That is something I find incomprehensible. But the doctrine, and what you might call unquestioning adherence to the Tuan Guru, means that people strongly protect the alleged perpetrator," Joko said.
Listen to the full conversation on the SBS Indonesian podcast.
