Jakarta, IO – Tunas Kasih Olayama Raya Foundation, which runs an orphanage in Medan suddenly went viral because it was suspected of exploiting children via live TikTok without their consent.
This suspicion emerged after a video showing an orphanage caretaker feeding porridge to a two-month-old baby made the rounds on social media. Many netizens criticized the act as harmful to the baby, per CNNIndonesia, Friday (22/9).
Allegations of exploitation gained more credibility because in the video one can see a number of children sleeping when the orphanage administrators performed their actions.
Medan Police Chief Commissioner Valentino Alfa Tatareda said the police have received the information and have questioned a number of witnesses, including the orphanage administrator named Zamanueli Zebua (ZZ).
ZZ was immediately named a suspect because he was proven to have exploited children for personal gain. He was charged under the Child Protection Law and is facing 20 years in prison.
Valentino said the unlicensed orphanage was managed by suspect ZZ and his wife. There are 26 children under its care, four of them are still babies and the others in elementary and middle school.
It was found out that the orphanage has been operating since early 2023. However, it has only been in the last four months that ZZ started making the TikTok videos.
Read: Govt Announces ‘Whoosh’ As The Colloquial Name Of Jakarta-Bandung HSR
ZZ uses the children to draw sympathy and collect donations. With this, he could earn tens of millions per month.
“One month he can get between Rp20 million to Rp50 million,” revealed Valentino. “The donations come not only from Indonesia but also abroad.” (un)