Minister Seeks Responsive Cybersecurity to Combat Gender-Based Violence
“Regulation is the first line of defense. We need solutions to overcome violence in the digital space. This is where the Shecure Digital Initiative becomes relevant and strategic,” she said in a statement in Jakarta on Monday.
She made these remarks during the launch of the Shecure Digital Initiative (SDI), an initiative by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in partnership with cybersecurity company ITSEC Asia.
Fauzi noted that the collaboration between UNFPA and ITSEC Asia brings a comprehensive approach: education, technical protection, and advocacy for shifting norms.
According to the minister, this effort is crucial because digital protection requires more than just literacy; it also necessitates a concrete, responsive, and victim-oriented cybersecurity system.
She further stated that online gender-based violence is no longer a virtual issue with only virtual impacts.
“It ruins reputations, destroys mental health, disrupts education, and even threatens physical safety. This is where the state has a responsibility to step in—not reactively, but through preventive and systemic action,” she said.
According to her, systemic efforts to prevent online gender-based violence have been built upon a foundation of comprehensive laws and policies.
They include the Law on Sexual Violence Crime, which recognizes digital-based violence, and the Online Child Protection Roadmap, which highlights strategies for prevention, intervention, and collaboration to protect children from online violence.
“When women and children feel unsafe and choose to withdraw from the digital space, Indonesia is, in fact, losing significant potential,” she stressed.
To this end, she continued, ensuring a safe digital space is a collective responsibility that cannot be delayed.
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Translator: Anita Permata, Raka Adji