Inside The ‘excellent’ Indonesian Daycare Where Police Found 53 Children Tied Up And Neglected

2 min readUpdated: Apr 28, 2026 05:08 PM IST

A parent in Indonesia questioned safety standards at a daycare centre in Yogyakarta after he reportedly learned that Little Aresha, the centre he had entrusted his two children to, was raided by the police. According to him, he was shown a video of the raid where he could see children in distressing conditions, with their hands and feet tied up.

“We were then shown a video of the raid, showing the children with their hands and feet tied up, with no clothes and only wearing diapers,” Noorman told BBC Indonesian.

He had enrolled his daughter at the centre in 2022, when she was two years old, and his three-month-old son in 2024.

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“The facilities offered include air-conditioned rooms, beds, lunch, and a variety of play activities,” the BBC quoted Noorman as saying. “That’s why we were drawn to Little Aresha because, frankly, the branding is excellent.”

The Yogyakarta police accused 13 people, including daycare staff and foundation heads, of child protection offences.

Whistleblower complaint led to action

The raid at Little Aresha was initiated after a former employee alleged inhumane treatment of children at the childcare centre.

Police said that the raid, which was conducted last Friday (April 24), uncovered children allegedly tied up and injured, with officials citing evidence of mistreatment at the childcare centre.

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The officials said they also uncovered overcrowded conditions, with several small rooms about 3m (10ft) wide holding up to 20 children.

Rizki Adrian, head of the Yogyakarta police criminal investigation unit, said of the 103 children enrolled in the daycare, at least 53 were believed to be subjected to either physical abuse or neglect.

He added that the majority of victims were under the age of two.

Authorities also confirmed that Little Aresha was operating illegally, as it did not have a permit.

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Yogyakarta authorities have ordered medical and psychological assessments for daycare victims, along with trauma support services for affected families. The incident has sparked outrage in the country.

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Whistleblower complaint led to action

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