- Dr. Chatarina Muliana Girsang highlights pervasive violence in Indonesian universities, including sexual violence, bullying, and intolerance, which harms students’ mental health and academic success.
- The Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology urges campuses to establish Violence Prevention and Handling Task Forces and safe reporting systems like the Crisis Response System (CRS).
- Stakeholders are called to foster a culture of respect and dismantle systems enabling violence, ensuring campuses become safe spaces for all students.
Jakarta Behind campus life that is so full of colors, there are still a great deal of dark tales that could not be heard. Violence in the forms of sexual violence, bullying, and intolerance acts still rages in learning areas that are supposed to be a safe haven for the younger generation.
"Many victims remained silent. Not because they did not want to say anything, but out of fear. Fear of being blamed, fear of being overlooked, afraid of being laughed at", wrote Dr. Chatarina Muliana Girsang, Inspector General of the Indonesian Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology (Kemdiktisaintek) in a written statement.
University violence is no new phenomenon, yet thus far, it has tended to be thought of as a private, cassistic, or even a 'bum' aspect of campus life. Indeed, the damage can be profoundly destructive mental health, cut into academic success, and kill students' future aspirations.
Statistics and acknowledgment by different universities indicate that incidents like bullying in thesis advising, sexual harassment among student groups, or intimidation on religious and gender identity grounds are still prevalent.
"We can no longer remain blind to this reality. Campuses should be a safe haven, not a battle field enveloped by a culture of silence", Chatarina said.
Understanding that prevention activities cannot be conducted independently, the Ministry of Education and Technology invites all campus stakeholders to actively participate, establish a Violence Prevention and Handling Task Force (PPK), develop a safe reporting system, and construct cultures of mutual respect.
With the Crisis Response System (CRS) application and the guidelines for preventing violence are part of this great step. But more than just technology, what is needed is partiality. The courage to side with victims, and firmness to dismantle a system that allows violence to grow secretly.
Plt. Head of LLDIKTI Region III, Tri Munanto, said that CRS is expected to be able to provide a sense of justice. "Reporters need to know how much of their report has been pursued. Trust needs to be rebuilt", he added.
But the system is merely a tool. The life of all these is shared consciousness that campuses are not a space for pseudo power that breeds violence. Campuses ought to be a home that welcomes, not suppresses. A space where every student 'any student' can develop without fear, and learn without threat.
