Social Affairs Minister Condemns Sexual Violence Case in Pati, Provides Victim Support

Gus Ipul expressed profound disappointment over the incident and stressed that pesantrens should be safe spaces for moral and religious education, not misused for deviant actions. “We are not just cautious; we strongly condemn it, we are disappointed, we sincerely denounce the use of a pesantren as a cover,” said Gus Ipul in a written statement on Friday (8/5/2026). In response, the Ministry of Social Affairs acted quickly by deploying a team to conduct assessments and provide support to the victims. Gus Ipul explained that the handling process is carried out in stages through intensive communication with the victims and their families. “We assess, then we have further discussions with the family and determine what support we can provide for empowerment. So, the team from the Ministry of Social Affairs is already there, and we are conducting the dialogue step by step,” clarified Gus Ipul. In addition to initial support, the Ministry of Social Affairs is preparing follow-up services to support the victims’ comprehensive recovery, including psychosocial and residential services. These service facilities are already available in the Pati region to accelerate the victims’ mental and physical recovery. Gus Ipul emphasised that this case is an important momentum to strengthen the data system as a basis for targeted interventions. According to Gus Ipul, accurate data will speed up the government’s response in providing assistance or empowerment. “This is where accurate data collection is important, which we then use as a basis to provide support, assistance, or interventions that can be carried out by the government or also by philanthropy and non-governmental organisations. So we can know faster and act faster if we have more accurate data,” said Gus Ipul. Regarding the socio-economic conditions of the victims’ family, the Ministry of Social Affairs will coordinate with the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) to conduct further measurements as a basis for policy interventions. “We can’t measure it yet; we will report it to BPS for measurement. Insyaallah, we will know in the coming days,” said Gus Ipul. Furthermore, Gus Ipul invited all parties to tighten supervision of educational environments, especially pesantrens, without generalisation. Gus Ipul affirmed that many pesantrens continue to carry out their educational functions well. “Let us all provide strict supervision and not generalise. Many pesantrens have earnestly educated their students,” stated Gus Ipul. Gus Ipul also emphasised the importance of comprehensive protection for all santri, not just the victims, through rehabilitation and empowerment approaches. “We must protect these santri, not only the victims but also the other santri. We must provide protection to all, along with rehabilitation and empowerment,” he concluded.