TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Legal Aid Institute of the Indonesian Women's Association for Justice (LBH APIK) opined that the Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Ministerial Regulation (Permendikbudristek) No. 30 of 2021 on prevention and handling of sexual violence is a step forward.

“This Permendikbudristek needs to be supported to encourage universities to actively prevent and deal with sexual violence,” said the APIK LBH coordinator Khotimun Sutanti in a statement, Tuesday, November 9.

Khotimun cited a recent survey of the Padjadjaran University’s Faculty of Law which reveals that 22.1 percent of respondents claimed to have experienced sexual violence on campus. Besides, 73.4 percent of respondents had heard of such cases on campus.

There are also 67.6 percent of respondents who do not feel protected from the threat of sexual assault, and 97.9 percent of respondents agree that regulations related to the handling of sexual violence on campus are necessary. The survey involved 612 respondents,

Based on the LBH data, many sexual violence cases in universities were not reported due to a lack of complaint mechanism and guarantees on how the case will be responded to.

The findings also show that victims are concerned about confidentiality assurance, a stigma that corners the victim, pressure from perpetrators who have authority in universities and worry about not getting a positive response when reporting such cases.

“We call on the public to support efforts to prevent and handle sexual violence, create a safe space for victims, and support the fulfillment of their rights, both in educational institutions and elsewhere,” Khotimun underlined.

Read: Religious Affairs Minister Advocates Anti-Sexual Violence Regulation

DEWI NURITA