Two months after an official of Indonesia’s Child Protection Commission (KPAI) claimed that women could get pregnant by sharing a swimming pool with men, KPAI has decided to push for her dismissal.
“The KPAl Plenary Meeting has decided to propose to the President of the Republic of Indonesia to dismiss without honor the Suspected Commissioner, Sitti Hikmawatty, from her position as a Member of the Indonesian Child Protection Commission,” said Chairman of the KPAI Ethics Board, I Dewa Gede Palguna, quoted from a copy of the KPAI Ethics Council Decree that was received by Kompas on Thursday (23 April).
The recommendation for the dismissal is taken after KPAI’s Ethics Board had previously proposed for Dr Sitti to submit her resignation.
Commenting on the commission’s decision to push for her dismissal, Dr Sitti said on Friday (24 April): “It is not [an official] dismissal — only a recommendation.”
Dr Sitti made the offending statement while talking about teen pregnancy in an interview with a major newspaper in February.
“There’s a certain kind of sperm that is very strong,” she told the newspaper. “Even without penetration, men may become sexually excited (by women in the pool) and ejaculate, therefore causing a pregnancy.”
“If women are in a phase where they are sexually active, (such a pregnancy) may occur. No one knows for sure how men react to the sight of women in a swimming pool,” said Dr Sitti.
Her statement gave birth to memes and cartoons across social media — and had even sparked a hashtag on Twitter calling for her resignation.
In response to the fiasco, the chairman of the KPAI issued a statement saying that Dr Sitti’s claims do not represent the views of the organization.
A few days later, Dr Sitti issued an apology to the public for giving an incorrect statement.
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