Preventing Sexual Violence: Bundo Kanduang's Role Must Be Optimised
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Minister for Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection (PPPA) Arifah Fauzi has urged the optimisation of the role of Bundo Kanduang as a cultural force in West Sumatra in efforts to prevent sexual violence based on customary and family values.
“The role of Bundo Kanduang as a cultural force in West Sumatra is needed in efforts to prevent sexual violence based on customary and family values,” Minister Arifah Fauzi said in a statement in Jakarta on Thursday.
In addition, the ministry emphasised the importance of strengthening the role of teachers from the earliest stages of education, with a scheme reducing teaching hours by two hours specifically allocated for character building and student mentoring as a preventive measure to create a safe and empowering environment for children.
Similarly, West Sumatra Governor Mahyeldi Ansharullah stressed that the family is the primary pillar of regional development. Therefore, strengthening family resilience must go hand in hand with a comprehensive and publicly accessible protection system.
“It is from families that the generation which determines the nation’s future is born,” Mahyeldi Ansharullah said.
During her visit to West Sumatra, Minister Arifah Fauzi inaugurated the UPTD PPA (Regional Technical Implementation Unit for Women and Children’s Protection) buildings in Sijunjung and Dharmasraya districts, as well as the Temporary Shelter (RPS) in Sijunjung district.
She affirmed that the inauguration of the buildings was not merely ceremonial, but a symbol of the government’s concrete commitment to improving the quality of services that are swift, comprehensive, and victim-centred.
“The UPTD PPA buildings, which have been renovated and equipped with facilities through the 2025 Physical Special Allocation Fund (DAK) for Women and Children’s Protection, are expected to build public confidence that the state is present to provide optimal protection for women and children,” Minister Arifatul Choiri Fauzi said.