Jakarta. Former performers from Oriental Circus Indonesia (OCI) have lodged a formal complaint with the Human Rights Ministry, alleging years of physical abuse, exploitation, and inhumane treatment while working with the now-defunct traveling troupe.

One survivor, Ida, said she was taken from her parents in 1976 at the age of five and forced into rigorous training at a zoo-themed tourist site in Cisarua, Bogor. “If we made a mistake, we were beaten,” she told reporters on Wednesday. “We were just children.” Ida said she suffered a spinal injury during a 1989 performance, which continues to affect her physically and mentally.

Another former performer, Butet, shared harrowing details during a podcast interview in March with “No Viral No Justice,” hosted by Cak Sholeh. She said beatings were a daily occurrence, often leaving performers bloodied. “Getting hit was part of our daily lives,” she said.

Butet claimed she was shackled with elephant chains after becoming pregnant by a fellow employee. “My legs were chained like an animal, from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. after every show,” she recalled.

Living conditions were dire. Without access to bathrooms, performers had to urinate in buckets and defecate in plastic bags. Butet also alleged she was electrocuted for waking up late. “They used the same electric prods meant for elephants,” she said.

Despite years of labor, Butet said she was never paid. “We were never shown love, let alone given wages.”

She recalled that the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) had opened an investigation in 1997, but it was never pursued. “We had no birth certificates, no schooling. The investigation just stopped,” she said.

Deputy Minister of Human Rights Mugiyanto confirmed the ministry is looking into the case. “We’ve heard the testimonies and will coordinate with relevant agencies to investigate further,” he said.

The survivors’ attorney, Muhammad Soleh, urged the government to form an independent fact-finding team. “Many victims are still too afraid to speak. We need inter-agency support, especially from the Human Rights and Women’s Empowerment ministries,” he said.

OCI Founder Denies Allegations

OCI founder and Taman Safari Indonesia (TSI) commissioner Tony Sumampau said OCI ceased operations in 1997 and is unrelated to TSI, an animal conservation park in Bogor, West Java. Three survivors filed a Rp 3.1 billion lawsuit against TSI in October.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Tony said OCI began in 1967 during a period of political unrest. “ABRI (Indonesian military) needed entertainment. They had a band, we had an acrobat team. We joined forces, performed across military bases using Hercules planes,” he said.

Initially focused on acrobatics, OCI adopted animal acts in 1971 after Royal Indian Circus entered Indonesia. Many performers, he said, were orphans or children raised by circus families.

Tony maintained that TSI, established in 1981, has no legal or financial ties to OCI. “These are separate entities. OCI ended in 1997. TSI was founded independently and continues today,” he said.

Tony also denied the abuse allegations, calling them baseless. He claimed that circus performers were treated like family and their needs, including education and vacations, were met. He further suggested that the former performers had been provoked by outsiders to make sensational accusations. “We never did anything like that. This is just the work of provocateurs,” Tony said.

OCI plans to pursue legal action against the alleged provocateurs and said it is ready to meet with the Human Rights Ministry whenever required.