Indonesia's MPR Vice Chair Lestari Moerdijat Calls for Stronger Protections After Elderly Sexual Assault in Grobogan

A 90‑year‑old woman in Grobogan, Central Java was sexually assaulted by a friend of her child who was intoxicated at the time. Police charged the perpetrator under Article 473 paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code, facing up to 12 years in prison.

Vice Chair of the Indonesian People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Lestari Moerdijat said the case shows a failure to protect the nation’s most vulnerable groups. She urged law‑enforcement agencies to act decisively against the offender and called for an immediate evaluation and strengthening of protection systems for vulnerable citizens, especially the elderly. Moerdijat highlighted that seniors now make up about 12 % of Indonesia’s population and that many cases of violence against elderly women go unreported, urging broader policy action to address the root causes of such abuse.