Criminal Threats and Fines for Perpetrators of Electronic-Based Sexual Violence
JAKARTA - A case of alleged sexual harassment involving 16 students from the Faculty of Law at Universitas Indonesia (FH UI) is currently attracting public attention.
The 16 FH UI students themselves have admitted to carrying out online sexual harassment against 27 victims through conversations in WhatsApp and LINE groups.
The Chair of the Executive Body of Students (BEM) FH UI, Anandaku Dimas Rumi Chattaristo, stated that the case came to light after the perpetrators issued an apology in their year group chat.
A few hours later, a post appeared on social media explaining the background of the actions.
According to Dimas, the form of harassment generally involved messages that demeaned with a sexual nuance.
“Any person who commits a non-physical sexual act directed at the body, sexual desire, and/or reproductive organs with the intention of demeaning a person’s dignity and honour based on their sexuality and/or morality shall be punished for non-physical sexual harassment, with a maximum imprisonment of 9 (nine) months and/or a maximum fine of Rp10,000,000.00 (ten million rupiah),” states Article 5 of the UU TPKS.
Furthermore, under Article 14 paragraph (1) of the UU TPKS, any person proven to have committed electronic-based sexual violence faces a maximum imprisonment of 4 (four) years and/or a maximum fine of Rp200,000,000.
The Minister of Education, Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Mendiktisaintek), Brian Yuliarto, has assured protection for the victims of the sexual harassment involving FH UI students.
The Ministry of Education, Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemendiktisaintek) has also coordinated with UI authorities to monitor the case.
“I have also coordinated with the Rector, and we are continuously monitoring the developments in handling this case, including ensuring that the affected parties receive the proper protection and support,” Brian stated in his comments on Wednesday (15/4/2026).
Sexual harassment, Brian emphasised firmly, is a serious violation that degrades human dignity.
“The world of higher education or universities anywhere should be a safe, dignified, and integrity-filled space for the entire academic community,” Brian said.
Based on Ministerial Regulation No. 55 of 2024 on the Prevention and Handling of Violence in Higher Education Environments, every higher education institution is required to establish a Task Force for the Prevention and Handling of Violence in Higher Education Environments (Satgas PPKPT).
If any criminal acts are found, law enforcement will refer to Law No. 12 of 2022 on Sexual Violence Crimes in accordance with applicable provisions.