Bengkulu University strives to create a safe campus free from violence

Bengkulu - Bengkulu University (Unib) is reinforcing its efforts to create a safe campus environment for all members of the university community by increasing its capacity for violence prevention and handling.

“A campus is considered advanced when everyone within it can learn and work without fear, and when those who are harmed dare to speak up because they are confident they will be heard, protected, and treated well,” said the Rector of Bengkulu University, Prof. Indra Cahyadinata, in Bengkulu on Wednesday.

The Rector stated that a university environment cannot be built solely through facilities and academic achievements, but must also be capable of providing a sense of security for everyone to study and work.

Efforts to realise a safe campus are being undertaken through the capacity building of the Task Force for the Prevention and Handling of Violence in Higher Education (Satgas PPKPT) at Bengkulu University. This includes improvements in prevention, reporting mechanisms, assistance, victim protection, and the handling of reports.

The Chairperson of the Satgas PPKPT at Bengkulu University, Dr Mona Ardina, emphasised the importance of viewing every report of violence not merely as a case or a statistic, but from a humanitarian perspective. “Behind every report, there is a human being in need of attention and support,” she said.

According to Mona, an increase in reports should be viewed as an incentive to strengthen the systems that provide security to the campus community. The handling of reports is not only oriented towards case resolution but also towards ensuring that victims receive proper care and support.

Strengthening efforts also include improving the understanding of report handling according to the respective authorities of each party. In this endeavour, the Satgas PPKPT is receiving enhanced training from academics and law enforcement regarding prevention, reporting, assistance, victim protection, and the legal aspects of handling violence.

Bengkulu University is encouraging all members of the campus community to participate in violence prevention. These efforts are not solely the responsibility of the Satgas PPKPT but require the commitment of university leadership, lecturers, educational staff, students, and all campus constituents.