Chairman of the Golkar Party faction in the Indonesian House of\nRepresentatives, Muhamad Sarmuji, has highlighted the alleged sexual\nharassment cases that have recently occurred within university settings.\nSarmuji described the cases reported at universities as a form of alarm\nregarding student protection.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is no longer just a case of one or two individuals. This is a\nloud alarm that campuses have failed to fulfil their basic function as a\nsafe educational space. If cases continue to recur across various higher\neducation institutions, it means there is something systematically\nwrong, and campus leaders are unable to create an atmosphere that\nprotects students,\u201d Sarmuji stated in his comments on Monday\n(20\/4\/2026).<\/p>\n
Sarmuji said that many students choose to remain silent due to power\nrelations with rectors, deans, or lecturers. He stressed that campuses\nmust be safe places, not intimidating ones.<\/p>\n
\u201cStudents are in a vulnerable position. When protection is absent\nfrom the institution, the campus becomes a frightening place rather than\na place of learning,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
This Golkar Secretary General emphasised that the sexual harassment\noccurring in several cases must not recur. He called for comprehensive\nimprovements by the campuses.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe must no longer normalise such incidents. Every case is an\ninstitutional failure,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Sarmuji then touched on the iceberg phenomenon in sexual harassment\ncases. His side requested clear sanctions against students involved in\nharassment cases.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is revealed to the public today is only the tip of the iceberg\nphenomenon, appearing as just a portion of the actual occurrences,\u201d\nSarmuji said.<\/p>\n
\u201cA clear sanction mechanism needs to be considered. If a sexual\nharassment case occurs at a campus, the leadership cannot wash their\nhands of it. That is an indicator of leadership failure,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
He also urged the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and\nTechnology not to stop at regulations but to ensure effective\nimplementation and supervision across all higher education institutions.\nHe reminded that campuses must be safe spaces, not ones that fill\nstudents with fear.<\/p>\n
\u201cRegulations already exist, but their implementation is weak. What is\nneeded now is the courage to enforce the rules and protect victims.\nCampuses must return to being safe spaces, not spaces filled with fear,\u201d\nhe revealed.<\/p>\n
It is known that social media has recently been abuzz with an alleged\nsexual harassment case by 16 students from the Faculty of Law at the\nUniversity of Indonesia (FH UI) in a group chat. UI has taken steps to\ntemporarily deactivate those 16 students during the ongoing examination\nprocess.<\/p>\n
Most recently, IPB has also affirmed its commitment regarding the\nalleged sexual harassment on campus. This follows screenshots of a group\nchat allegedly belonging to mechanical engineering and biosystems\nstudents at Bogor Agricultural Institute (IPB) that circulated on social\nmedia.<\/p>\n
The content of the conversation in that group veered towards sexual\nharassment. The campus side immediately conducted an investigation into\nthe allegations.<\/p>\n
In another case, Padjadjaran University (Unpad) temporarily\ndeactivated a lecturer suspected of being involved in a sexual violence\ncase within the campus environment. Unpad stated that the victim is no\nlonger studying at the campus.<\/p>\n
\u201cRegarding the follow-up, I do not have any update information yet;\ntracing is being carried out,\u201d said Unpad\u2019s Head of Public Relations,\nDandi Supriadi, when asked for confirmation on Saturday (18\/4\/2026).<\/p>\n
\u201cThe victim is no longer studying at Unpad,\u201d he added.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/golkar-highlights-sexual-harassment-cases-campuses-fail-to-protect-students-1776689457", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }