UI Group Chat Evidence of Verbal Harassment Occurring Through Digital Communication

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Clinical psychologist and University of Indonesia graduate Kasandra Putranto believes that the suspected case of verbal sexual violence involving students from the Faculty of Law at the University of Indonesia (UI) can occur through digital communication. “The suspected case of verbal sexual violence involving students from the Faculty of Law at the University of Indonesia (UI) shows that sexual violence is not always physical but can also occur through digital communication,” Kasandra said when contacted by ANTARA in Jakarta on Wednesday. Kasandra stated that this incident serves as an alarm for campuses in Indonesia because, in practice, harassment—whether verbal or occurring in digital spaces—still exists and needs to be handled systematically. “However, the case involving students should not be generalised to conclude that all universities in Indonesia are in a critical state regarding understanding harassment,” she said. Furthermore, Kasandra conveyed that this phenomenon also indicates that the problem is not just with individuals but with a culture that still normalises sexual jokes and weaknesses in sensitivity to boundaries (consent). Regarding sanctions such as Drop Out (DO), she believes it can be a form of strict disciplinary enforcement. However, sanctions alone are not sufficient to create a long-term deterrent effect if not accompanied by cultural change and education. An approach that only punishes without prevention risks causing similar cases to recur in other environments. Kasandra also emphasised that various forms of verbal sexual violence behaviour, such as sexual comments, harassment, intentions, or sexual innuendo jokes, reflect violence against others. Sexual violence needs to be understood in the context of manifestations of power relations that degrade individual dignity. This phenomenon cannot be separated from the social culture that normalises sexual jokes. “Liz Kelly (1988) through the concept of the continuum of Sexual Violence explains that actions considered minor, such as verbal comments, are actually part of a broader spectrum of sexual violence. In the digital era, these innovative forms are becoming increasingly complex,” she said.