Legislator Urges Ministry of Education to Firmly Address Obscene Chat Group Case at UI Law Faculty
Member of the House of Representatives Commission X, Habib Syarief Muhammad, has urged the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology to take firm action against the alleged sexual harassment case involving 16 students from the University of Indonesia’s Faculty of Law (FH UI). He called for the ministry to impose strict sanctions on the perpetrators.
“We must not tolerate perpetrators of sexual violence on campus. The Ministry of Education must take firm action, including expulsion as students, to create a deterrent effect and serve as a warning to others,” said Habib Syarief to reporters on Thursday (16/4/2026).
Habib Syarief stated that sexual violence on campus is a serious violation of human values and the world of education. He expressed dismay at the recent cases of sexual harassment in the campus environment.
“Ironically, many sexual violence cases have occurred among higher education actors in the country lately,” he said.
This PKB legislator urged the Ministry of Education to take serious and comprehensive steps in handling sexual violence issues. He hoped the state would not neglect to address it.
“The handling of cases must not be done partially and left entirely to individual campuses. This has become a national issue that requires intervention and comprehensive policies from the government,” said Habib Syarief.
“Campuses must be safe spaces for the entire academic community. The state must not neglect in guaranteeing such protection,” he added.
The University of Indonesia (UI) is known to have conducted an investigation into the alleged verbal sexual harassment case involving dozens of students in the Faculty of Law environment. The campus side affirmed that verbal sexual violence constitutes a serious violation.
“UI emphasises that every form of sexual violence, including verbal forms occurring in digital or offline interactions, is a serious violation of the university’s core values, the academic community’s code of ethics, and applicable legal regulations,” said Director of Public Relations, Media, Government, and International Affairs Erwin Agustian Panigoro at the UI Depok campus, as quoted by Antara on Tuesday (14/4/2026).
Erwin conveyed that the investigation process is currently underway through UI’s Task Force for the Prevention and Handling of Sexual Violence (Satgas PPKS) with a victim-centered approach, upholding principles of justice, confidentiality, and caution. He said the process includes verification of reports, summoning parties, gathering evidence, and coordination with related units at the faculty and university levels.
Meanwhile, FH UI has taken initial steps including internal tracing and summoning students suspected of involvement. The FH UI Student Representative Council has imposed organisational sanctions in the form of revocation of active membership status for several students, as stated in Decree Number 007/SK/BPMFHUI/IV/2026.
Erwin described those steps as an initial response at the student organisation level. He affirmed that if violations are proven in the investigation process, the university will impose sanctions according to applicable provisions, including academic sanctions up to expulsion as a student, and does not rule out coordination with law enforcement authorities if criminal elements are found.