Deputy Speaker of MPR Urges RBI Implementation to Reach Villages and Sub-districts

The Deputy Speaker of the MPR RI, Lestari Moerdijat, has highlighted the implementation of the Joint Ministerial Decree (SKB) involving three ministers regarding Indonesia’s Shared Space (RBI) in an effort to strengthen the protection of women and children. According to her, the implementation of this policy needs to reach villages and sub-districts so that protection efforts are not limited to the central government level.

“Comprehensive protection for children and women is not achieved solely through existing legal regulations, but also through how those laws are understood and implemented,” Lestari stated in a written briefing on Tuesday (2 ext<0xA0>September 2026).

The RBI Joint Ministerial Decree was signed by the Minister of Home Affairs, Tito Karnavian; the Minister of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection, Arifah Fauzi; and the Minister of Villages and Disadvantaged Regional Development, Yandri Susanto, on 14 September at the Sasana Bhakti Praja Building, Ministry of Home Affairs Headquarters, Jakarta. The RBI is positioned as a collaborative platform that integrates various programmes, resources, and services for the empowerment of women and the protection of children.

Lestari, commonly known as Ririe, believes that implementing the RBI down to the community level is crucial, as the protection of women and children requires regulations that are not only legally binding but also comprehensible and actionable.

Previously, Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian also emphasised that the RBI programme must be included in the 2027 Regional Budget (APBD) and will be monitored through the Regional Government Work Plan (RKPD). This policy is particularly significant as data on violence against women and children in Indonesia continues to show high figures.

The Indonesian National Police recorded 36,148 cases of gender-based violence throughout 2025, with a case resolution rate of only 12.8 per cent. The National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan), through its 2025 Annual Report (CATAHU), also reported 19,251 cases of sexual violence and 9,170 cases of domestic violence.

Ririe emphasised that the success of the RBI depends heavily on the ability of local governments to translate central policies into real action on the ground.

“National interest must serve as our compass, and that can only be achieved through proper orchestration between the central and regional governments,” explained the member of Commission X of the DPR RI.

She added that the challenges faced by women and children are evolving alongside the increased use of digital spaces in society.

“The development of the digital world does not only bring technology that simplifies human activities; on the other hand, digitalisation also presents threats to women and children, necessitating appropriate protection systems,” said the member of the NasDem Party.

Ririe believes that the RBI policy will only be meaningful if officials at the village and sub-district levels have adequate capacity to execute it.

“A good policy is one that reaches those who most need protection. We must ensure that the RBI does not merely remain a report on paper while women and children in villages continue to struggle alone,” she stated.

Ririe concluded that the capacity building of village officials through continuous training and assistance—including the ability to identify and handle gender-based violence in digital spaces—must be undertaken. Reporting and monitoring mechanisms involving the community are also deemed necessary so that villages possess early detection systems for the vulnerabilities of women and children.

Budget allocations in villages and sub-districts should also be directed towards programmes for the protection of women and children, rather than just symbolic activities. This step is part of the effort to ensure the RBI is implemented through tangible actions at the community level.

“This nation is not measured solely by how fast we advance, but also by whom we protect,” Ririe concluded.