An Indonesian official apologized on Tuesday for a proposal requiring high school girls to submit to virginity tests in order to get their diplomas.

Ayub Junaid, the vice chairman of the city council of Jember, East Java, apologized "on behalf of the leadership and local legislative bodies...to the public, especially women, in particular girls and children," according to local media.

The proposal surfaced last week when council member Habib Isa Mahdi said virginity tests were part of "good conduct" legislation the council was considering, citing what Isa Mahdi said were worryingly high rates of HIV among high schoolers in the region.

Another lawmaker last week expressed support for expanding the proposal to cover the entire 2.3-million person province, with the intention of "scaring" girls away from sex.

Human rights advocates say the tests are nothing but "discriminatory gender-based violence."

"I think that the foundation for the virginity tests is one that's rooted in a desire to intimidate, a desire to instill fear, along with very mistaken views that there actually might be a medical purpose or efficacy in the test," said Phelim Kine, the deputy director of the Asia division at Human Rights Watch.

The World Health Organization has stated unequivocally that the tests have no scientific or medical value.

"For there to be a move by policymakers, by educators, by government officials to want to inflict the virginity test on women and girls really illustrates both a profound ignorance about medical reality and a real contempt for the rights of women and girls," Kine said.

Tuesday's apology came after council members met with members of Indonesia's top Islamic clerical body, the Ulema Council. The religious council voiced opposition to the proposal, declaring that virginity tests were not compatible with Islam.

The proposal also drew backlash from local youth and women's rights activists.

Nationally, virginity tests are still required for women who want to serve in the country's military or police forces, a November Human Rights Watch investigation found. Tests for women who want to join the national civil service were dropped following that report, but Kine said the military and police have since "dug in their heels" about keeping the tests.