Law Enforcement in Child Violence Cases Needs Strengthening
The Deputy Speaker of the MPR RI, Lestari Moerdijat, believes that improvements are still needed in resolving child violence cases. She noted that the punishment of perpetrators has not yet been sufficient to break the chain of violence.
“Another issue is that legal handling of perpetrators has not fully been able to break the cycle of violence,” said Rerie, her familiar nickname, during the Denpasar 12 Discussion Forum held online on Wednesday (8/7).
Furthermore, cooperation is required from all parties, ranging from the central government to the general public. The high number of child violence cases cannot be resolved by the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection (PPA) alone. Therefore, building a multi-stakeholder ecosystem is the appropriate path forward.
Data from the Online Information System for the Protection of Women and Children (SIMFONI PPA) recorded approximately 11,900 cases in 2021. By 2024, this figure rose to 19,628 cases, representing a significant increase of over 10 per cent.
“What must be closely examined is that this situation demands critical proof between the increase in actual acts of violence and the realisation that we are in an emergency situation,” she stated.
Rerie emphasised that while regulations such as Law Number 12 of 2022 on Sexual Violence Crimes and other rules are already in place, the focus must be on ensuring that the derivative regulations of that law are well-implemented.
Ahead of National Children’s Day on 23 July 2026, Rerie invited the public to support joint campaigns to protect children, starting from strengthening protection and parenting patterns within the smallest unit of society, the family. She concluded that if Indonesian children are protected from now on, we will certainly possess a superior and competitive generation.
Additionally, the Deputy Speaker of the MPR RI, Lestari Moerdijat, expressed support for the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education’s PSPB Movement to address educational challenges through universal collaboration and mutual cooperation (gotong royong).
Rerie noted that several technical efforts undertaken by the government to prevent and suppress the sale of cigarettes to children and adolescents deserve appreciation.
Lestari suggested that this phenomenon could serve as a good starting point for the state to review the accuracy of education budget absorption. She continued with critical notes regarding the education budget, targeted subsidies, educational affordability, and other related issues.
The challenge of ensuring the availability of quality and evenly distributed teachers demands concrete, comprehensive, and immediate steps from all stakeholders across the nation.