A suspected sexual harassment case centred on a group chat at\nSurabaya State University (Unesa) has been found to involve not only\nverbal harassment but also the creation of unethical content using\nartificial intelligence (AI) targeting the victims.<\/p>\n
Tegar Eka Pambudi El Akhsan, Chair of the Student Representative\nCouncil of the Vocational Faculty at Unesa, revealed the various forms\nof harassment that took place within the group chat on a messaging\napplication. The group comprised six reported students with the initials\nRY, HA, AD, RE, JO, and DO.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe alleged harassment in the group chat took the form not only of\nverbal abuse and objectification driven by fantasy or personal\ngratification, but also included the use of AI technology to generate\nunethical content targeting one of the victims,\u201d Tegar said in an\nofficial statement on Monday (20\/7).<\/p>\n
The case first came to light when one of the victims was asked to use\nthe suspected perpetrator\u2019s mobile phone to contact a friend, and\nnoticed a suspicious message notification from a group chat.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe victim saw a message notification from a group chat containing\nsentences suspected to be unethical,\u201d said Tegar. \u201cThe victim then\nopened the group without the phone owner\u2019s knowledge and discovered a\nnumber of starred messages containing sentences suspected of containing\nelements of harassment,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n
Two of the six group members, JO and DO, eventually gave statements\nto the Student Representative Council on 1 July 2026, unable to tolerate\ntheir peers\u2019 behaviour. They said the group chat, initially created to\ndiscuss competition activities, had latterly been misused for unethical\nconversations.<\/p>\n
The number of victims has continued to grow since the initial report.\nFrom nine people in early July, the figure rose to 19 on 5\u20136 July,\nbefore finally reaching 26 on 13 July 2026, consisting of 22 students\nand four lecturers.<\/p>\n
Based on the provisional verification results of Unesa\u2019s Directorate\nfor the Prevention and Handling of Strategic Issues (PPIS), three\nparties with the initials RE, JO, and DO were declared not to be\nperpetrators pending completion of the process. The other three \u2014 HA,\nRY, and AD \u2014 have already served sanctions in the form of recorded\napologies to parents, which were submitted to PPIS.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, Tegar said, the decision on possible severe sanctions,\nincluding expulsion, against the suspected perpetrators has yet to be\nmade. The Student Representative Council stated that follow-up from PPIS\nis still needed so that all parties can resolve the case thoroughly.<\/p>\n
\u201cFollow-up from PPIS is needed to issue an official statement on the\nfairest and most appropriate sanctions for the perpetrators who have\ntarnished the reputation of the study programme, the faculty, and the\nuniversity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Head of Unesa\u2019s Task Force for the Prevention and\nHandling of Violence (Satgas PPK), Iman Pasu Marganda Hadiarto Purba,\nsaid the university has deactivated the six vocational students reported\nfor suspected sexual harassment via the WhatsApp group.<\/p>\n
Iman said the six reported students have been suspended from all\nacademic and campus activities to ensure the smooth running of the\ninvestigation. He stressed that the deactivation is not a final sanction\nbut part of administrative procedure so that the investigation can\nproceed independently whilst upholding the presumption of innocence.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe reported students are deactivated from all academic activities,\nexcept for fulfilling their obligations in the examination of this case.\nThis is not a final sanction, but part of the handling procedure,\u201d said\nIman.<\/p>\n
Iman said Satgas PPK is handling the case in accordance with the\nprocedures set out in Minister of Education and Culture Regulation\nNumber 55 of 2024 on the Prevention and Handling of Violence in Higher\nEducation Institutions, using a victim-centred approach that upholds the\nprinciples of justice, confidentiality, and prudence.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn handling this case, there is a strict mechanism in place,\nstarting from receiving reports, case review, evidence gathering,\nexamination of the reported parties and witnesses, victim assistance,\nsummoning parents, drawing up conclusions and recommendations, and the\ndetermination of sanctions by the rector,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He added that Satgas PPK is still carrying out intensive\ninvestigation to establish the level of violence that occurred and to\nmitigate the possibility of other parties being involved or\naffected.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are still conducting in-depth investigation, examining witnesses,\nand gathering additional evidence from the very long and extensive chat\nhistory of the group to map out this case comprehensively, objectively,\nand fairly,\u201d said Iman.<\/p>\n
Satgas PPK has ensured a victim-centred handling approach focused on\nprotection and recovery, providing ongoing psychological support, legal\nassistance, and academic support. Unesa has also guaranteed the\nconfidentiality of the identities of all victims, reporters, and\nwitnesses.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeyond focusing on handling the case, assistance for the victims is\nour priority. The task force team is providing psychological support,\nensuring their academic support runs smoothly, and preparing legal\nassistance if needed,\u201d he said.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/unesa-chat-group-scandal-ai-generated-content-used-in-sexual-harassment-1784534027", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }