SYAFITRI, a girl in her 20s, kept rubbing her red eyes, filled with tears. Now and again she scratched herself: the boils once covering her body still left some itching.

About 20 roommates in her ward at mental institution Panti Laras Harapan Sentosa 1, Cengkareng, West Jakarta, were individually preoccupied: lying, gazing emptily, mumbling something, and grinning. This is one of the mental institutions under the direction of the Jakarta provin