“Reporting violence is the first step to protect oneself and prevent similar cases against others,” Arifah said in a statement Sunday in Jakarta.
She made the remarks during the 24th anniversary open senate session at the Faculty of Medicine, Jenderal Soedirman University in Purwokerto, Central Java.
“By courageously filing a report, students defend not only their own rights but also contribute to a safer campus environment,” she said.
She noted that various forms of violence, particularly sexual violence, continue to occur in educational institutions and threaten the futures of women and children.
She cited data from a 2020 survey by the Directorate General of Higher Education, Research, and Technology showing that about 77 percent of lecturers said sexual violence occurs on campus, and 63 percent of them had not reported known incidents to university authorities.
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The National Commission on Violence Against Women also found that 27 percent of sexual violence cases in education take place at the tertiary level.
Arifah praised the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology’s Regulation No. 30 of 2021 on Prevention and Handling of Sexual Violence in Higher Education, which was strengthened by Regulation No. 55 of 2024, as a key step in addressing campus sexual violence.
Those regulations mandate the establishment of Sexual Violence Prevention and Handling Task Forces (Satgas PPKS).
According to the Ministry of Education and Culture’s Center for Character Strengthening, by 2023 all public universities, including Jenderal Soedirman University (Unsoed), had formed Satgas PPKS.
“I commend Unsoed for its commitment to creating a safe, comfortable, violence‑free campus, particularly in preventing sexual violence through its Satgas PPKS,” Arifah said.
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Translator: Anita Permata Dewi, Cindy Frishanti Octavia
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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