Deputy Minister of Basic and Secondary Education affirms no tolerance for perpetrators of sexual harassment

Mataram (ANTARA) - Wakil Menteri Pendidikan Dasar dan Menengah (Wamendikdasmen) Fajar Riza Ul Haq has affirmed that there will be no tolerance for perpetrators of sexual harassment or bullying in school environments throughout Indonesia. “We affirm that there is no tolerance for any sexual harassment, no tolerance for any bullying, especially if it results in the death of the victim,” Fajar stressed when questioned by reporters after inspecting the implementation of the Academic Ability Test (TKA) and the use of Interactive Digital Boards (PID) at SMPN 6 Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), on Tuesday. He acknowledged the current challenges in Indonesia’s education sector, which centre on creating an educational world that is safe, comfortable, and healthy. In response to such cases, the government through the Ministry of Education, Basic and Secondary Education has issued Permendikdasmen Number 6 of 2026 on Safe and Comfortable School Culture. “This is to affirm the government’s stance that there is no tolerance for any sexual harassment or bullying in schools,” he said, addressing the ongoing prevalence of sexual harassment, sexual violence, and bullying cases in school environments across the country, including in NTB. According to him, the government is deeply concerned about the high number of sexual harassment and bullying cases occurring in school settings. In many instances, bullying begins and occurs within families. “When problems arise at school, there is often insufficient communication between the school and parents, leading to misunderstandings. This is why in many cases, teachers are reported, even though the students have also experienced violence. This happens due to a lack of communication between parents and the school,” he added. Therefore, Fajar stated, the government encourages that every school issue be resolved by parents through the school committee and the school itself, rather than through legal channels or reporting to law enforcement authorities (APH). “So, on one hand, we want to suppress and eliminate bullying, harassment, and sexual violence. On the other hand, we encourage more intensive communication between families and schools. This is part of Permendikdasmen Number 6 of 2026,” he said. “Cases of sexual violence are now a special focus of attention. For this reason, task forces have been established in all schools,” said the Head of the NTB Communication, Information, and Statistics Office, Ahsanul Khalik. He emphasised that these task forces are not only responsible for monitoring but also for receiving complaints related to sexual violence against children (TPKS). As a strong commitment to preventing despicable acts that have a detrimental impact on children’s futures, the NTB Provincial Government has also submitted an official letter to Minister of Religious Affairs Nazaruddin Umar regarding sexual violence cases that have recently come to light in pesantren environments. “The hope is that there will be integrated steps between the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the provincial government, including the police, as anticipatory measures to ensure such incidents do not occur again in the future,” he said.