Jakarta Governor Opens Door to Regulation on Bullying Prevention and Response
Jakarta — Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung Wibowo has opened the possibility of creating a gubernatorial regulation (pergub) regarding the handling and prevention of bullying in the capital city.
The handling of bullying issues was one of several public requests made to Pramono during his visit to the Regional Specialised Hospital (RSKD) Duren Sawit in East Jakarta on Tuesday, 10 March.
“There were several requests earlier, one of which concerned bullying. I will request the Assistant for People’s Welfare and their team to study whether a gubernatorial regulation related to bullying is indeed necessary,” Pramono said when met at RSKD Duren Sawit on Tuesday, 10 March.
According to him, support from the surrounding community is essential so that patients can recover and return to living better lives after receiving treatment.
To this end, Pramono committed to promptly follow up on requests concerning regulations on bullying handling and prevention in the capital. He also appealed to the public to embrace survivors of mental health disorders so they can achieve better lives.
“My hope is that whoever receives treatment at this facility, when they complete their treatment, will be better off. And most importantly, the community must also be able to accept them and eliminate the stigma that exists,” Pramono said.
He made these remarks in response to data from the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) from 2026 showing that during the 2023-2026 period, 120 cases of child suicide were recorded.
The recorded child suicides are not caused by a single factor, but rather result from the interaction of various factors, ranging from poverty, bullying, and depression to inadequate parenting patterns, and exposure to unhealthy digital environments, such as the influence of online gaming.
For this reason, authorities have urged the government to strengthen early detection of children’s mental health through counselling and psychology services in schools, the opening of online counselling services, and the involvement of teachers and parents in monitoring and mentoring.
It is hoped that strengthened mental health testing and detection can become a concrete step in preventing similar cases from recurring, whilst also improving the child protection system more comprehensively.