For thousands of Indonesian parents, childcare centres are a trusted solution for balancing work and childcare, promising safe, nurturing environments for vulnerable young children. But a shocking police raid last week on a popular daycare in the city of Yogyakarta has torn back the curtain on a years-long pattern of alleged abuse and neglect that has rocked the nation and ignited urgent calls for sweeping oversight reform.
The case centers on Little Aresha, a childcare facility marketed to local families as a premium center boasting well-equipped classrooms and a wide range of developmental play activities. For years, families like that of civil servant Noorman placed their full trust in the center. Noorman first enrolled his daughter there in 2022, drawn by the center’s polished branding, air-conditioned facilities, and the warm, approachable demeanor of the foundation’s leader. When his son was born, he enrolled the three-month-old infant at Little Aresha in 2024, never suspecting the harm that could be occurring behind closed doors.
Small red flags appeared in hindsight: Noorman noticed unexplained cuts on his daughter’s chin and bruises on her hands, but center staff dismissed the injuries as accidents that happened at home. Another parent, Budiyanto, who enrolled his 18-month-old daughter at Little Aresha, also observed regular unexplained bruising, which staff blamed on bites from other children — an explanation he accepted as normal for group toddler care. Noorman also noticed his children consistently came home ravenous, even after he packed full lunches for them, and his infant son failed to gain weight as expected; the child was recently diagnosed with pneumonia.
The nightmare came to light last Friday, when Noorman received an urgent panicked phone call from a friend: police were raiding Little Aresha, and he needed to collect his children immediately. When he arrived, investigators showed him graphic footage from the raid: young children with bound hands and feet, naked except for their diapers. These disturbing accounts have been corroborated by police, who confirmed the raid was launched after a whistleblower former employee filed an official report documenting inhumane treatment of children at the facility.
Rizki Adrian, head of Yogyakarta Police’s criminal investigation unit, told reporters that investigators recovered clear physical evidence of mistreatment, including bound children and visible injuries on multiple toddlers. The facility was structured in a way that defied basic safety regulations: tiny 3-meter-wide rooms were crammed with as many as 20 children at a time. Of the 103 children officially enrolled at Little Aresha, authorities confirm at least 53 are confirmed victims of physical abuse and neglect, the vast majority under two years old.
One viral TikTok posted by parent Erika Rismay, which has amassed more than 300,000 views, has put a human face on the alleged abuse. In the video, Rismay’s young daughter recounts how staff tied her hands and feet and covered her mouth to stop her from crying. “So I wouldn’t cry. So Mummy wouldn’t hear me crying,” the girl told her mother, who responded in the caption with devastating guilt: “Oh Allah, my child, forgive me. No wonder every day when you left for school you always cried hysterically, and when you came home you were silent and spaced out, like you had been hypnotised.”
Following the raid, police questioned 30 center staff and officials, ultimately arresting 13 people — including the center’s principal, the head of the Little Aresha Foundation, and multiple caregivers — on child protection charges. Investigators have confirmed Little Aresha never held a valid operating license, a common issue across Indonesia’s childcare sector. The center has remained closed since the raid and has not issued any public response to the allegations.
Local authorities have moved quickly to support affected families: Yogyakarta’s government has ordered comprehensive physical and psychological evaluations for all alleged child victims, and trauma support services will also be provided to grieving parents. Noorman, like many families, is calling for a full, transparent investigation and harsh punishment for anyone found responsible. “It’s inhumane. We’ve been entrusting him to the centre,” he said. “Not only my own child, but there were dozens of toddlers who were treated in such inhumane ways.”
The scandal has reignited long-simmering public anger over child safety in Indonesian childcare, and prompted renewed calls for stricter industry regulation. This is not the first high-profile case of abuse at an Indonesian daycare: in 2024, a facility in Depok, south of Jakarta, faced national scrutiny after viral security camera footage captured two toddlers being mistreated by staff. A subsequent investigation by the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) found that fewer than 20% of the more than 100 daycare centers in Depok held valid operating licenses. Nationwide, KPAI estimates there are roughly 3,000 childcare centers across the country, the majority of which operate without formal approval, just like Little Aresha.
Yogyakarta Mayor Hasto Wardoyo has already pledged to inspect every childcare facility in the city and launch a public education campaign to help families identify licensed, verified providers. A local lawmaker has called for a full, independent probe into the Little Aresha case, describing the allegations as “truly unforgivable”. Public reaction on social media has been fierce, with many users calling for mandatory real-time security camera access for parents, and criticizing staff who mistreated vulnerable children. “If you can’t handle how kids naturally act, then don’t work there,” one Facebook user wrote.
