Unbelievable as it may sound, yet it is very true that a new law has been passed in Indonesia for females wishing to join the country armed forces; they must undergo a two-finger virginity test, with the belief that women who are not virgins cannot shoot a gun effectively.

According to Tedjo Edh, the country’s coordinating Minister of Politics, Law, and Security, who confirmed the practice in an interview with the CNN, he was quoted as saying:

“If you lack your hymen, you cannot shoot a gun.”

The test, according to Edh, is administered by a physician, who sticks two fingers inside the female applicant’s vagina to ensure that their hymen is intact.

But Human Rights Watch has urged military physicians to pressure President Joko Widodo to abolish the test.

The Indonesian military’s special women’s unit is the only unit for women in the military to wear fatigues in the country, in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, on Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2010. They participate in search and rescue, women’s issues, and trauma.
The Indonesian military’s special women’s unit is the only unit for women in the military to wear fatigues in the country, in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, on Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2010. They participate in search and rescue, women’s issues, and trauma.
It said:

“The Indonesian armed forces should recognise that harmful and humiliating ‘virginity tests’ on women recruits does nothing to strengthen national security.”

President Joko Widodo should set the military straight and immediately abolish the requirement and prevent all military hospitals from administering it.”

But the country known for its adamant way of doing things, has stood firm on its law, claiming that the tests has ensured that they recruited the best applicants who were mentally and physically fit.

Before now, the virginity tests in Indonesia were meant for female police officers alone but it has been extended to the various arms of the military.