LLDikti III Affirms Media's Role in Preventing Campus Violence

Jakarta - The Head of the Higher Education Service Institution (LLDikti) for Region III, Henri Togar Hasiholan Tambunan, has affirmed that mass media plays a vital role in preventing various acts of violence within higher education environments.

During an audience session at the ANTARA Heritage Center in Jakarta on Friday, Henri emphasised that reporting on cases of violence in higher education needs to be voiced by the media to provide an educational impact and a deterrent effect for perpetrators.

“We really hope the media plays a role in conveying this, as it actually serves as a warning when it is reported. And once again I say, okay, the bad news can be reported, but how to prevent that bad news also needs to be communicated to the public,” he said.

Henri assessed that transparency of information from the mass media will foster awareness among victims to report promptly to the authorities, considering that the psychological impact of bullying or sexual violence kept bottled up can be very fatal.

According to him, this preventive measure is considered very crucial given that the psychological impact of depression resulting from bullying or sexual violence suppressed by victims alone can have very fatal consequences for their future.

“Don’t hold it in. We have conducted research; the effects are very severe. It can lead to, let’s say, trauma, and even suicide,” Henri stated.

Responding to this, the President Director of LKBN ANTARA, Benny Siga Butarbutar, expressed his institution’s readiness to provide broad publication support as a form of mass media’s concern for the national education ecosystem.

Benny affirmed that as the national news agency, his team is ready to deploy journalists to oversee crucial issues on campus in order to provide continuous enlightenment to the public.

He also stated that ANTARA is ready to oversee all community service activities carried out by higher education institutions in the context of educating the nation.

“For example, as was agreed earlier, how they go to disaster-affected areas in Sumatra to provide a trauma healing programme. Well, we can help with the publication, depicting a social care programme,” said Benny Siga Butarbutar.