Sanctions for Sexual Violence Perpetrators at UI Under Rector's Authority

Acting Inspector General of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology (Kemendikti Saintek), Nur Syarifah, stated that the Rector of Universitas Indonesia (UI) is the authority to determine sanctions for the 16 students suspected of committing sexual violence, including the maximum sanction of expulsion or dropout.

“It is the authority of the UI Rector to address this, as it is still under the handling of the higher education leadership,” said Nur Syarifah after attending a closed meeting with Commission X of the House of Representatives (DPR) in Jakarta on Monday, 20 April 2026.

Syarifah explained that the handling process for suspected sexual violence has a clear hierarchical structure according to Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Regulation Number 55 of 2024 on the Prevention and Handling of Violence in Higher Education Environments. According to the regulation, the violence prevention task force at each campus is the authority to process reports. “So, once the task force has decided, it means it is at the higher education institution, and the Rector has issued the decision,” she said.

Meanwhile, she said, Kemendikti Saintek’s role is to supervise the handling process and receive objections submitted by victims or parties who feel aggrieved. She emphasised that Kemendikti Saintek’s capacity is not to intervene, but to ensure that the task force carries out its duties according to procedure.

Kemendikti Saintek will examine how the task force receives the case, conducts examinations of the reporter, and ensures the use of a victim-centred perspective. “So there are no statements that instead demean the victim or make the victim afraid to speak out, ensure the data is protected, ensure that accompaniment services are provided,” said Nur Syarifah.

As many as 16 students from the Faculty of Law at Universitas Indonesia are suspected of committing sexual violence. They are suspected of having sexually toned conversations discussing other students in their internal group. The conversation circulated on social media X through a post by the account @sampahfhui on Saturday, 11 April 2026.

Timotius Rajagukguk, the victim’s legal representative, revealed that the victims of the alleged harassment involving Faculty of Law UI students number 20 female students and 7 lecturers. According to Timotius, the case has been occurring since 2025, and the victims already knew they were harassed in that year.

Meanwhile, UI’s Director of Public Relations, Media, Government and International Relations, Erwin Agustian Panigoro, said that UI has deactivated the academic status of the 16 students suspected of being involved in the harassment incident.

He assured that the university will impose sanctions if they are proven to have committed sexual harassment. The deactivation is not the final sanction, but rather Erwin said it is part of the administrative process for examining the 16 Faculty of Law UI students.