Under Global Spotlight: What Foreign Media Say About the Sexual Harassment Case at FH UI
A case of alleged verbal sexual harassment involving more than a dozen students at the Faculty of Law, Universitas Indonesia (FH UI), has drawn attention from foreign media.
Singapore’s The Straits Times, in its report on Thursday 16 April 2026, highlighted how conversations involving 16 UI law students recently went viral, triggering public condemnation and fresh concerns about the spread of sexual violence on campus.
“The conversation laden with vulgar language among 16 UI law students recently went viral and sparked public outrage as well as new concerns about the proliferation of sexual violence on campus,” the media stated.
The coverage also revealed that the case stemmed from a post on the X platform on 12 April 2026 showing screenshots of the student group chat. The content included vulgar comments, explicit sexual jokes, and objectification of female students and lecturers.
“That post quickly went viral and attracted widespread attention, prompting other students to hold a forum on 13 April at the Depok campus,” the report continued. In the forum, students demanded apologies from the alleged perpetrators, some of whom are known to be student organisation officials.
According to the media report, the university has initiated an internal investigation through a task force for preventing and handling sexual violence. Additionally, several students have had their memberships revoked from campus organisations.
“The university also stated that it would not rule out coordinating with law enforcement,” wrote The Straits Times, indicating the potential for reporting the case to the police if criminal elements are found.
Spotlight also came from ABC News, which reported the case on Wednesday 15 April 2026. In its coverage, the Australian media highlighted the number of reported victims and demands for strict sanctions against the perpetrators.
“According to local media, the number of reported victims so far is 27 people, consisting of 20 FH UI students and seven lecturers,” wrote ABC News. The report also emphasised calls from survivors for heavy sanctions against the perpetrators, including the possibility of expulsion from campus.
More broadly, the foreign media assessed this case as reflecting a larger problem, namely concerns over the normalisation of sexual harassment in Indonesia’s higher education environment. Several other cases at various campuses were also highlighted as part of the wider context.