Making Pancasila a Safe Haven for Women
Indonesia is often cited as one of the world’s most religious nations. Yet, for over two decades, the country has remained in a state of emergency regarding domestic violence (KDRT), sexual violence, human trafficking (TPPO), and ranks fifth globally in HIV cases. Valuable guidance from religion and Pancasila is ignored, let alone implemented. Indonesian mosques and churches are among the most numerous globally, with morality sermons saturating TV and media, yet religious leaders rarely address violence against women. Officials frequently speak of national character and ethics but fail to act on these principles.
The nation must confront a stark question: why, in such a religious country, are women unsafe even in private spaces, let alone public ones? Many girls suffer sexual abuse from fathers, uncles, siblings, or those meant to protect them. Wives live in fear of their husbands. Women’s bodies become silent spaces of wounds that rarely see justice.
NO SAFE SPACE FOR WOMEN
In schools and universities—places where knowledge should uplift humanity—sexual violence persists. Even in Islamic boarding schools (pondok pesantren) teaching piety, cases emerge like hidden sores uncovered under the guise of preserving institutional and religious figure reputations.
The irony extends further: within security institutions meant to protect citizens, women face structural discrimination. Women make up only 2% of the TNI and 5.7% of the police force. In sexual violence cases, victims often face intimidation, blame, or pressure to stay silent to protect institutional reputations.
LBH APIK reports that despite the Sexual Violence Crimes Act (UU TPKS), police halt 70% of sexual violence cases involving female victims. Jala PRT notes similar dismissals for cases involving female domestic workers. LBH APIK also records that internal military investigations into domestic violence by soldiers often side with perpetrators or go unresolved.
The republic seems more focused on preserving institutional reputations by defending perpetrators than protecting female victims. The dignity of institutions is upheld by burying cases at the expense of abused women.
Women’s bodies are the first cradle of life and the continuity of the nation’s future. A child’s intelligence (IQ) and biological resilience are inherited from the mother; destroying women’s wombs is tantamount to promoting death and eroding the nation’s future.
We have long viewed Pancasila as mere political slogans and ceremonial recitations. It is treated as a national symbol but fails to be operationalised into a system that protects the most vulnerable.
For decades, Pancasila has been taught as rote knowledge rather than lived awareness. It remains in the realm of cipto—concepts, slogans, and regulations—but fails to touch roso and jiwo (emotions and spirit). Consequently, people recite the principle of just and civilized humanity while ignoring the suffering of violence victims.
They speak of social justice while leaving women to fend for themselves. When roso loses sensitivity and jiwo loses connection to life, Pancasila becomes a hollow ritual devoid of transformative power.
OPERATIONALISING PANCASILA
The core of Pancasila is not merely state structure but a framework of consciousness. It embodies a relational view of life: humans do not exist in isolation but are interconnected and mutually protective.
In Nusantara cosmology, we uphold the principles of asih (compassion), asah (refinement), and asuh (nurturing)—love, knowledge development, and life stewardship. These principles are most vividly embodied in women’s experience of carrying life in their wombs. Women’s bodies teach civilisation: life grows not through violence, domination, or fear, but through care, diligence, patience, and love.
Thus, building a Pancasila-based Indonesia means creating a social system that functions like a womb: protecting, nurturing, and honouring life. Transformation must begin with women’s own awareness. For centuries, women have been taught to be strong in service but not to recognise their inherent worth.
Many women grow up with guilt, fear, and a sense of boundless sacrifice. Yet women are not merely ‘complements’ to development; they are the bearers of the nation’s life continuity.
Modern science shows that women’s biological, emotional, and social conditions affect future generations. Stress, violence, trauma, poverty, and malnutrition in women can leave long-term impacts on child development.
Thus, when women are destroyed, the nation’s future is slowly eroded. It is not excessive to say women must be ‘integrated’—not worshipped feudalistically, but honoured, for through their bodies, care work, and love, the Republic’s continuity is sustained.
Unfortunately, the state often fails to grasp this fundamental issue. As education costs rise, women bear the burden first. When healthcare deteriorates, women are most affected. High maternal mortality, stunting, and perka