Push for Use of TPKS Law in FH UI Sexual Harassment Case

JAKARTA - Deputy Chair of Commission X of the House of Representatives, MY Esti Wijayanti, is pushing for the use of Law Number 12 of 2022 on Sexual Violence Crimes (TPKS) in the sexual harassment case involving 16 students from the Faculty of Law at Universitas Indonesia (UI). According to her, the sexual harassment committed by these 16 FH UI students meets the elements of sexual violence under the TPKS Law. “What the perpetrators have done meets the elements of the types of sexual violence in the TPKS Law. And the perpetrators themselves are law students who should be more sensitive and understand every legal consequence,” said Esti in her statement on Thursday (16/4/2026). The application of the TPKS Law in the case involving FH UI students is hoped to serve as a lesson so that similar incidents do not recur. “And most importantly, so that there is no more normalisation of any actions that lead to sexual violence,” Esti stressed. According to her, the world of higher education should be a safe space from verbal or digital sexual violence. She also appreciated UI’s steps in conducting an investigation through the Task Force for the Prevention and Handling of Sexual Violence (PPKS). “The handling of the case must proceed fairly. And there needs to be support for the victims, both psychological, legal, and academic support so that victims who experience trauma can recover quickly,” said Esti. “Every person who commits a non-physical sexual act directed at the body, sexual desire, and/or reproductive organs with the intention of degrading a person’s dignity and honour based on sexuality and/or morality, is punished for non-physical sexual harassment, with a maximum prison sentence of 9 (nine) months and/or a maximum fine of Rp10,000,000 (ten million rupiah),” states Article 5 of the TPKS Law. Furthermore, under Article 14 paragraph (1) of the TPKS Law, every person proven to have committed electronic-based sexual violence faces a maximum prison sentence of 4 (four) years and/or a maximum fine of Rp200,000,000. Such penalties are imposed on every person who without rights: