Law Enforcement Against Juvenile Sexual Offenders Under Indonesia’s Juvenile Justice System: A North Gorontalo District Police Study

Abstract

This study aims to analyze law enforcement against children in conflict with the law in sexual abuse cases under Law Number 11 of 2012 concerning the Juvenile Criminal Justice System at the North Gorontalo District Police. Despite growing literature on restorative justice and juvenile justice in Indonesia, limited empirical attention has been given to how district-level police institutions balance criminal accountability, child protection, and victim interests in juvenile sexual abuse cases. This research employed an empirical legal method using statutory, conceptual, and socio-legal approaches. Data were obtained through observation, interviews with investigators from the Women and Children Protection Unit, and review of relevant legal documents and literature. The findings show that law enforcement is implemented through repressive and preventive approaches. Repressive measures include investigation, summons, examination, and evidence collection, while preventive measures involve legal education, community supervision, and institutional coordination. Implementation remains constrained by non-cooperative juvenile offenders, weak community participation, limited legal awareness, and insufficient coordination among police, families, schools, and child protection institutions. Cases recorded from 2023 to 2025, involving offenders aged 15 to 16 years, indicate a recurring problem requiring an integrated response. This study contributes empirical insight into the gap between juvenile justice norms and their practical implementation at the district police level. It concludes that effective law enforcement must integrate criminal accountability, restorative justice, victim protection, child rehabilitation, and community-based prevention.