Lestari Moerdijat Backs National Movement to Prevent Violence in Islamic Boarding Schools
Efforts to create a safe and comfortable educational environment require commitment and concrete action from multiple stakeholders. The government is therefore strengthening cross-sector collaboration to realise child-friendly pesantren and madrasahs through the launch of the National Movement for Safe and Comfortable Spaces for Children (Gernas RANA).
The movement, launched by Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Pratikno, is expected to deliver an educational ecosystem that is safe, comfortable, inclusive, and free from all forms of violence against children.
According to Deputy Speaker of the MPR Lestari Moerdijat, a series of measures to achieve the stated targets must become a shared understanding and commitment among education providers, pesantren and madrasah administrators, and the public.
“A movement to realise a safe and comfortable educational environment must receive full support from relevant parties, including families and the community,” Lestari said in a written statement on Monday (13/7/2026).
The launch of Gernas RANA took place on Sunday (12/7) at Al-Hamidiyah Pesantren in Depok. The movement targets 42,000 pesantren and 80,000 madrasahs across Indonesia to implement five main pillars in creating a safe and comfortable educational environment: strengthening regulations, preventing violence, providing safe facilities, establishing victim-centred complaint services, and fostering cross-sector collaboration.
Rerie, as Lestari is affectionately known, argued that accelerating efforts to prevent and handle violence in educational settings is not without reason. Based on records from the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan), there were 475 cases of gender-based violence in educational environments throughout 2025, with victims totalling 972 people. Specifically within pesantren, Komnas Perempuan received reports of 17 cases between 2020 and 2024.
Additionally, the Federation of Indonesian Teachers’ Unions (FSGI) recorded an increasing trend of violence in educational settings, with 15 cases in 2023, rising to 36 cases in 2024, and surging to 60 cases throughout 2025.
Rerie, who also serves as a member of House of Representatives Commission X, assessed that the growing threat of violence must be met with immediate and appropriate preventive measures.
According to Rerie, preventing bullying in educational environments cannot rely solely on anti-violence socialisation. It must be balanced with active efforts to build attitudes and a culture of tolerance in schools and society.
Furthermore, she explained, prevention efforts cannot depend solely on the readiness of teaching staff but also require the active role of the community and families in shaping children’s character from an early age.
The senior politician from the NasDem Party appreciated Gernas RANA, initiated by the government, to create a safe and comfortable educational environment for the nation’s future generations. However, she noted that the success of the movement depends on the strong commitment of all parties to make child protection a top priority.