In Indonesia, a viral video of a boy being forced to ‘bark like a dog’ is sparking outrage

On By Pranco

An Indonesian businessman who humiliated a teenager by forcing him to “bark like a dog” in an incident captured in a viral video has been charged under child protection law following public outcry over alleged corruption.

The incident began when Ivan Sugianto, a businessman in his 40s, confronted 16-year-old Ethan outside his school in Surabaya. Indonesia‘s second largest city, on October 21. Accompanied by bodyguards, Ivan accused Ethan of calling his son a “poodle” during a basketball game and demanded an apology.

According to an account that Ethan’s mother, Ira Maria, told local journalists, Ivan then forced Ethan to throw himself on the ground and “bark like a dog.”

I subjected my son to public humiliation

Ira Maria, mother of Ethan

“I was so afraid for my son and myself because (Ivan) had rough-looking thugs with him that I made my son suffer public humiliation,” Ira said.

She said she thought the matter was settled, but Ivan still demanded a formal apology through a recorded video and a notarized written statement, which she and her husband rejected outright.

Days later, a video of what happened outside the school gates – a legally underage teenager being publicly humiliated by an adult man – went viral on social media, immediately sparking outrage among Indonesian online users.

“Our family still tried to show good faith by agreeing to another meeting with Ivan, mediated by the school principal,” Ira said. She decided to speak up after the video went viral, and she knew public opinion was on her side, adding that Ivan kept berating her son and forcing him to “crawl like a dog.”