FHUI Case: Educational Institutions Must Enforce Zero Tolerance for Sexual Violence

The Ministry of Population and Family Planning (Kemendukbangga/BKKBN) has stressed that educational institutions must enforce zero-tolerance policies against sexual violence in response to the verbal harassment case involving a student at the Faculty of Law, University of Indonesia (FHUI). “Educational institutions are obliged to enforce zero-tolerance policies against sexual violence and activate anti-harassment and violence handling units in a transparent and accountable manner,” said Secretary of Kemendukbangga/BKKBN Budi Setiyono when confirmed by ANTARA via text message in Jakarta on Wednesday. Budi emphasised that educational institutions also need to provide mandatory literacy and education to students on consent or agreement without coercion and digital ethics. “Sexual harassment can never be justified in any form, including digital. Jokes that demean or objectify are part of a larger problem, not something trivial,” he stated. “The lack of education on consent also influences due to limited understanding of ethics, boundaries, and agreement in social interactions. There is also the effect of digital spaces, namely anonymity and interaction distance, which can reduce empathy and social sympathy from the perpetrator,” he added. Budi stressed that conversations with sexual undertones that demean, objectify, or contain symbolic violence against individuals are not mere jokes but can create unsafe environments for the wider community, especially women. “Normalising sexual violence in everyday life has the potential to encourage and develop into real actions in the real world. Digital spaces are not empty but can reflect social interaction patterns that occur. What is said in them can reflect values, attitudes, and potential behaviour in the real world,” he said. According to him, sexual harassment, including in digital form, can cause psychological pressure, anxiety, and trauma for victims. More broadly, it can damage the integrity of the academic environment, which should uphold ethics, equality, and respect for human dignity.