Outrage in Indonesia over viral videos of two mothers sexually abusing their children; both claim to be victims of sextortion

JAKARTA: Two videos of children being abused by their mothers are making the rounds on the internet in Indonesia, sparking shock and outrage among netizens and putting a spotlight on sextortion in the country.

The videos were recorded last year but only went viral last week and became a trending topic on social media after appearing on platforms such as X and TikTok.

Police have arrested the two suspects, both in their twenties, who claim to be victims of sextortion. They were allegedly approached on Facebook in 2023 by a user named “Icha Khalisa” who promised them payment if they sent nude photos of themselves.

According to the women, the user then asked them to record videos of the sexual abuse of their children and send them the clips, otherwise the nude photos would be shared on social media.

Indonesian police released details of the cases on June 3. In one case in South Tangerang, the mother – identified by police as R. – claimed she was forced to film herself sexually abusing her five-year-old son.

The Facebook user had offered her a payment of 15 million rupees (US$920) in return and at the same time threatened to spread her nude photos on the Internet if she did not record and send the video.

“Because she felt threatened, R ended up committing sexual abuse and doing bad things. Then it was recorded and went viral,” said Ade Ary Syam Indradi, spokesman for the Greater Jakarta Metropolitan Police, according to Detik.

The video was recorded and sent by R, but she never received the payment. Instead, the video went viral on social media a year later.

According to police, a mother in Bekasi (AK) abused her 10-year-old son under similar circumstances. The incident was recorded and sent to the same Facebook account in December 2023, and the video also went viral this month.

Both R and AK are suspected of breaking several laws relating to pornography and child protection. If charged and found guilty, they face up to 12 years in prison.

Indonesian police say they have tracked down the owner of the Facebook account “Icha Khalisa,” but it turns out the account was hacked by someone who is still at large, and the owner claims to be a victim of extortion like R and AK.