"Data has shown that women have become vulnerable to sexual violence, and there has been an increase in cases of sexual violence against women throughout January to July 2021," he said at the final event of the 16 Days of Anti-Violence against Women here on Friday.
During the period from January to July 2021, as many as 2,500 cases of violence against women were recorded in the country, he noted. The figure surpassed the number of cases in 2020, which stood at 2,400, he said.
“The increase was affected by the pandemic crisis,” he said.
The minister further said the issue of violence against women is like the iceberg phenomenon, meaning the actual number of unreported cases of violence against women is higher than the number of reported cases.
Related news: Higher Internet use has upped gender-based violence risk: minister
Sexual violence has a long-term impact on victims and affects the future of women, especially students, he added.
"Imagine having to experience trauma at such a young age, experiencing cases of sexual violence that impact their entire future," the minister said.
Women have played a massive role in Indonesia's development, he observed. Indonesia has many female heroes who fought for the country's freedom and those who fought for education, as well as women who work hard for their families, he pointed out.
"For that reason, any form of violence to anyone must be eradicated from the educational environment," he emphasized.
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology has formulated and ratified a ministerial regulation concerning the prevention and handling of sexual violence in higher education.
"The ministerial regulation encourages everyone in the higher education environment to collaborate for providing education regarding sexual violence, handling sexual violence, handling cases of sexual violence that are facilitated by the task force (for sexual violence) and university leaders," he explained.
Related news: Sexual violence cases mostly started in private scope: Official
Translator: Indriani, Raka Adji
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
