DPR Proposes National Standard for Childcare in Pesantren

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Member of Commission VIII of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) Atalia Praratya has proposed that the government formulate a national standard for childcare in pesantren to strengthen child protection, following developments in the handling of an alleged case of burning three students in Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara. Atalia stated that the proposal aims to prevent the recurrence of violence in religious educational environments by strengthening supervision systems, safe complaint mechanisms, and periodic supervision and evaluation of care practices in every pesantren. The alleged burning case occurred in November 2025 and has returned to public attention as it enters the legal process. As a member of Commission VIII DPR RI, which oversees religious affairs, she assessed that the development of pesantren cannot be measured solely by administrative aspects, curriculum, or institutional governance. “A child of the nation has lost their life. No words can erase the grief of the family left behind. But what is more tragic is if such tragedies continue to recur, while we merely exchange condolences without fixing the system that should protect them,” said Atalia. She emphasised that the case must not be generalised as a reflection of all pesantren. According to her, the majority of pesantren have carried out their educational functions well, so taking action against perpetrators of violence is necessary to maintain public trust in Islamic educational institutions. “The majority of pesantren have carried out their educational functions well. Precisely because we want to maintain public trust in pesantren, every form of violence must be dealt with firmly,” she said. She also requested that the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection expand the Child-Friendly School programme to pesantren, madrasahs, seminaries, and other religious educational institutions, accompanied by education on preventing bullying and physical, psychological, and sexual violence. According to her, child protection is a mandate of Law Number 35 of 2014 and is in line with Islamic values that uphold compassion and respect for human dignity.