Police ban men with enlarged genitals
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Forget about getting a job as a police officer in the Papua region of Indonesia if you have had your penis enlarged.
You won't get it.
An applicant "will be asked whether or not his vital organ has been enlarged", said Papua police chief Bekto Suprapto, quoted on Kompas.com. "If he has, he will be considered unfit to join the police or the military." This is because having an enlarged penis can hinder training, according to police spokesman Zainuri Lubis, on Detik.com.
Indonesia's remote easternmost province is home to Papuan tribes, many of whom wear penis gourds. To achieve enlargement, they wrap the penis in leaves from the gatal-gatal (itchy) tree so that it swells up "like it has been stung by a bee", a local sexologist said.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments