The alleged case of verbal and sexual harassment involving 16\nstudents from the Faculty of Law at Universitas Indonesia on 15 April\n2026 has shaken the public conscience of the campus community. The\nuniversity has temporarily suspended the students as an administrative\nmeasure during the investigation, while emphasising victim protection\nand the presumption of innocence (Republika, 16\/4\/2026).<\/p>\n
This incident reminds us that sexual violence does not always begin\nwith physical contact; it can emerge from group chats, sentences wrapped\nin humour, or seemingly trivial jokes that demean others\u2019 dignity.<\/p>\n
The world has witnessed a similar pattern at the University of\nWarwick in England. A campus investigation into a student chat group\ncontaining discussions on rape and sexual violence resulted in severe\nsanctions. Several students were expelled, and others were banned from\ncampus for extended periods. Both cases offer the same lesson: digital\nspaces can allow violence to grow quietly before erupting into a moral\ncrisis for educational institutions.<\/p>\n
The problem is far from minor. UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund)\ndefines technology-facilitated gender-based violence as violence that is\ncommitted, aided, aggravated, or amplified through information\ntechnology and digital media based on gender. Forms include online\nsexual harassment, threats, non-consensual sharing of intimate images,\ndoxing, and digital stalking.<\/p>\n
In Indonesia, Komnas Perempuan reports that complaints of online\ngender-based violence in CATAHU 2025 increased by 40.8 per cent from the\nprevious year. Komdigi also states that cases of violence against women\nin digital spaces continue to rise, with an average of around 2,000\nreports per year, predominantly online sexual violence. This means\ndigital wounds are not illusions; they are real, lasting, and can\ndestroy victims\u2019 sense of safety in learning, working, or\nsocialising.<\/p>\n
From a social psychology perspective, there are two key explanations.\nFirst, the online disinhibition effect: people tend to be more\nuninhibited, aggressive, or extreme in online spaces due to anonymity,\ninvisibility, delayed responses, and minimal sense of being watched.\nSecond, online violence is driven by the same roots as offline violence:\npower imbalances, harmful gender norms, and habits of belittling those\nperceived as weaker.<\/p>\n
When these factors meet permissive group cultures, moral restraints\nquickly collapse. Someone who might not dare to speak crudely in the\nreal world feels safe in digital spaces because their identity seems to\ndissolve into the crowd. From here, sexual jokes can turn into insults\nand eventually shift into violence.<\/p>\n
Therefore, the signs must be recognised early. Sexual violence in\ndigital spaces rarely erupts suddenly. It usually starts with someone\u2019s\nbody becoming the subject of conversation, a victim\u2019s name linked to\nsexual fantasies, screenshots shared without permission, lewd comments\ndisguised as jokes, or group pressure to join in the laughter.<\/p>\n
Phrases like \u201cdon\u2019t take it personally,\u201d \u201cjust joking,\u201d or \u201cdon\u2019t\nleak the group chat\u201d often serve as barriers protecting the perpetrator,\nnot the victim. In such situations, victims easily feel ashamed,\nfearful, isolated, or even self-blaming. What is wounded is not just\ntheir reputation, but also their psychological sense of safety.<\/p>\n
So what must be done? First, universities must not wait for cases to\ngo viral. Prevention must become a culture. Indonesia already has a\nfoundation through Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and\nTechnology Regulation No.\u00a030 of 2021 on the Prevention and Handling of\nSexual Violence in Higher Education Environments.<\/p>\n
Second, campus policies must firmly address online violence, not just\nphysical spaces. Guidelines from Universities UK emphasise the\nimportance of institutional responses to online harassment alongside\npromoting digital wellbeing. This means education on digital ethics,\nreporting procedures, victim protection, and disciplinary follow-up must\nnot stop at slogans; they must be embedded in the system.<\/p>\n
Third, we need a culture of active bystanders. Much violence persists\nnot because perpetrators are too strong, but because witnesses are too\nsilent. Intervention does not always mean major confrontation. In many\nbystander intervention guides, simple steps like diverting the\nsituation, supporting the victim, helping to document, accompanying\nreporting, or simply stating that the behaviour is not funny, are\nalready very meaningful.<\/p>\n
When a victim speaks out, the first response is also crucial: listen,\nshow empathy, do not blame, and let the victim decide the next steps.\nApproaches like this make handling truly centred on recovery, not just\non institutional image.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, this issue is not just about technology, but about\nmanners. In Islamic teachings, belittling, mocking, and shaming others\nis no light matter. Surah Al-Hujurat verse 11 reminds us not to let any\ngroup belittle another, and not to mock each other with derogatory\nnicknames.<\/p>\n
In the digital age, this advice feels increasingly relevant, as our\nspeech now moves to our fingertips. Thus, digital education should not\nstop at gadget proficiency, but also instil shame, empathy, and moral\nresponsibility. For the measure of a university\u2019s progress is not just\nthe intelligence of its students, but the ability of its community to\nuphold each other\u2019s honour, even when they feel unseen by anyone.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/sexual-violence-in-digital-spaces-and-the-empathy-crisis-1776387051", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }