Canadian teacher arrested in Jakarta

A Canadian teacher and an Indonesian teacher have been arrested in Jakarta, accused of sexually assaulting students at an international school.

A Canadian teacher has been arrested in Indonesia for alleged child sex abuse, police say, in a scandal that has rocked one of the country's most prestigious international schools.

The teacher, an administrator at the Jakarta International School in the capital, could face up to 15 years' jail if found guilty, Jakarta police spokesman Rikwanto said.

"We arrested him Monday night over suspicions of child rape. He allegedly committed the act repeatedly in several locations on the school's premises over a period of six months," he said on Tuesday.

An Indonesian teacher at the school was also arrested on Monday for alleged sexual assault, Rikwanto said.

The school has come under intense scrutiny since police in April arrested several outsourced cleaners over the gang rape of a six-year-old boy.

Authorities have closed down the kindergarten, where the alleged abuses took place, and immigration officials have deported 20 foreign teachers for misusing their work visas.

The parents of one of the victims is seeking $US125 million ($A135.24 million) from the school in a lawsuit, the school said in a statement.

"We are distressed by this turn of events and are very frustrated that our staff members have been detained based on allegations against them that are absolutely false and are made without evidence," the statement said.

The case has brought attention to the high incidence of child sex at schools across the country.


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world