"Thus, until we achieve gender equality, special attention should be given to women and children," she noted in a webinar as seen here on Tuesday.
Puspayoga pointed out that the patriarchal culture, rooted in social aspects, had placed women and children, especially girls, in a position with more disadvantages as compared to the male counterpart.
To commemorate International Women's Day, Puspayoga's administration has encouraged university students to not hesitate to come forward to oppose violence against women.
"We need to further strengthen the fighting spirit of us all, especially students, to have the courage to fight violence against women for the sake of creating an advanced and equal Indonesia and the world," she stated.
Efforts to eradicate violence against women and children were one of the priority issues for the development of women's empowerment and child protection as mandated by the ministry for the 2020-2024 period in accordance with President Joko Widodo's directive.
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Moreover, Puspayoga noted that the government had made several efforts related to policies to meet those ends, such as by pushing for the ratification of the Sexual Violence Criminal Act Bill.
Other efforts made by the government include the issuance of Regulation Number 30 of 2021 by the Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Ministry, which was created to address cases of sexual violence in tertiary education institutions. The Religious Affairs Ministry also expressed support to this policy.
On the other hand, the Sexual Violence Criminal Act Bill had come into conception since 2016. However, it had yet to be ratified even after six years. Several people have pressed for the government to immediately officiate the bill in the wake of several victims of sexual violence speaking up about their experience.
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Translator: Anita P D, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2022
