Sexual Violence on Campus: Ministry of Higher Education Urged to Expel Perpetrators
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Member of DPR RI Commission X, Habib Syarief Muhammad, is urging the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemendikti Saintek) to take breakthroughs to prevent sexual violence in university environments from recurring continuously.
According to Syarief, Kemendikti Saintek must take firm actions such as dismissal or drop out (DO) penalties for perpetrators of sexual violence to create a deterrent effect.
“We must not tolerate perpetrators of sexual violence on campus. Firm actions must be taken by Kemendikti Saintek, including dismissal as a student, to provide a deterrent effect and serve as a warning to others,” said Syarief in his statement on Wednesday (15/4/2026).
He emphasised that educational institutions should nurture values of respect for equal and civil relationships between opposite sexes.
“Ironically, many cases of sexual violence have occurred among higher education actors in the country recently,” said Syarief.
One case currently in the spotlight is the verbal sexual harassment carried out by 16 students of the Faculty of Law, Universitas Indonesia (FH UI).
Then, a case of sexual violence also occurred at Universitas Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa (Untirta), involving a student against a lecturer.
This politician from the Partai Kebangkitan Bangsa assessed that the above cases represent a worrying trend that must be responded to firmly by Kemendikti Saintek.
“The handling of cases must not be done partially and left entirely to each campus. This has become a national issue that requires intervention and comprehensive policies from the government,” he said.
“The campus must become a safe space for the entire academic community. The state must not neglect in guaranteeing such protection,” he added.
In agreement, member of DPR RI Commission III from the PKB Faction, Abdullah, also highlighted sexual harassment cases in educational environments.
According to him, similar cases may not only occur in higher education but also at high school and junior high school levels.