The commission attributed the increase in reported cases to the issuance of the Regulation of the Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Permendikbud Ristek) Number 30 of 2021 on the Prevention and Handling of Sexual Violence in Higher Education.
"After the Regulation of the Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Permendikbud Ristek) Number 30 of 2021 was issued, it (the number of reports) has continued to increase," Komnas Perempuan commissioner Maria Ulfah Anshor informed at a webinar, accessed from here on Thursday.
The increase in reports of sexual violence in the higher education environment has indicated that the ministerial regulation is starting to reveal the iceberg phenomenon of sexual violence in higher education, she observed.
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However, Anshor said that the commission does not have exact data regarding the increased reports.
The success of the ministerial regulation in providing courage to victims of sexual violence to report their experiences shows that the presence of the regulation is not aimed at legalizing adultery, which became polemic among the community after the regulation was issued, she said.
Permendikbud 30/2021 could be a bridge before the Sexual Violence Bill (RUU TPKS) is passed, she added. The implementation of Permendikbud 30/2021 can give an idea of how the community will react if the RUU TPKS is ratified, she pointed out.
Together with activists and various organizations working in the field of human rights, Komnas Perempuan is pushing for the ratification of the Sexual Violence Bill, she said.
"The reason behind why the Sexual Violence Bill is urgent is because victims do not get the right to justice, truth, and recovery," she noted.
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Translator: Putu Indah, Raka Adji
Editor: Suharto
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