TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - KPAI Chair Ai Maryati Solihah on bullying cases in educational institutions such as the recent incidents at the Binus High School and an Islamic boarding school.

Physical bullying in schools continues to remain a grave concern for the country. In a recent incident involving a dozen students at the Bina Nusantara High School (Binus School) in Serpong, South Tangerang. Four were named suspects and eight other children in conflict with the law by the South Tangerang police. Worse, a similar incident at the Al Hanifiyyah Islamic Boarding School in Kediri, East Java, resulted in the death of the victim, Bintang Balqis Maulana, 14, who died after being assaulted by his seniors.

These two incidents in Jakarta and East Java add to a long list of bullying and violence cases. In 2023, the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) recorded 137 child victims of bullying and 411 child victims of physical and psychological violence.

To handle the cases, the KPAI has deployed teams of advocates. KPAI Chief Ai Maryati Solihah said her teams encountered obstacles in the field. “Binus did not allow sufficient access to many sides,” she said on Thursday, February 29.

Likewise, probes into cases at religious-based educational institutions such as pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) usually hit a brick wall. Ai said the government had difficulties gaining access to these institutions. “Even the regional level government institutions or the ministries, not to mention the KPAI, have trouble getting into them,” she said.

Ai accepted a request for a special interview with Tempo. She spoke to them from Cianjur, West Java, via a video conference. For over an hour, she explained the progress of counseling assistance for the victim of bullying in Binus, challenges in monitoring religious and educational institutions and KPAI’s jurisdiction in handling cases of violence against children. Excerpts:

What did your team find from investigating the bullying case at the Binus School?

We ensure that the victim has been taken care of, and his condition has indeed improved. Our internal coordination prioritized the safety and physical as well as psychological health of the victim.

How is he?

A medical team has already treated his physical condition. But he needs intensive and continuous psychological counseling. We received information that the victim had experienced bullying more than once, so we advised the family and medical team to offer him the best possible support, and the government must be involved.

To what extent is the government siding with the victim?

We invite the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection, along with technical agencies, to be involved in protecting the victim. From there, we immediately executed the emergency protocol for the victim and (fulfilled) his needs. We also involved the Witness and Victim Protection Agency for intensive coordination to assess the damages as the victim had to take a break from school due to the incident.

How will you handle the perpetrators, the majority of whom are children in conflict with the law?

They will be subjects of our scrutiny. Children in conflict with the law must have companions throughout the process. We must not forget that as children, they still have the rights to education, access to their families, and child-friendly interrogation, among others, and their identities must not be disclosed.

The identities of some were exposed because they were the children of celebrities…

We indeed have trouble controlling it. That’s why we appealed with deep empathy to take down the social media videos and to stop sharing them as these children are 16 to 17 years old with a long future ahead. Both sides, both the victim and the perpetrators, need a chance to get a child-friendly space to grow. All the children in this situation must have their rights and protection guaranteed.

Read the Full Interview in Tempo English Magazine