YLBHI Urges Strict Supervision to Prevent Sexual Violence in Islamic Boarding Schools
The rising frequency of sexual violence cases against female students in Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) has triggered calls for tightened supervision within educational environments and impartial law enforcement. The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) has emphasised the need for serious measures from the government and law enforcement agencies to prevent the recurrence of such cases.
Chairman of YLBHI, Muhammad Isnur, stated that the first step must be strengthening audit, supervision, and control systems in both formal and informal education. He believes that regulations prohibiting sexual violence must be a primary focus for all educational institutions.
“There must be audits, specialised guarding, and controls within education. The prohibition of sexual violence must be a very important priority in the educational world, including pesantren,” said Isnur when contacted on Sunday (7/6).
He also called upon the Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Education to undertake massive efforts to ensure all educational institutions possess a strong commitment to preventing sexual violence. “It must be a massive effort from the Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Education to enter all pesantren and be firm with educational institutions so they never trifle with sexual violence.”
Furthermore, Isnur emphasised that pesantren should serve as safe spaces for students and places to build collective awareness regarding the protection of pupils. “Pesantren must be a space for serious discussion on how to protect students from sexual violence, whether by teachers, peers, or religious leaders (kiai).”
On the other hand, Isnur also requested that the police act swiftly and firmly in handling sexual violence cases without regard to the perpetrator’s status. “If there is violence, act immediately; do not care if they are a kiai or from a pesantren. It is all the same,” he asserted. He warned against any perception that law enforcement is slow simply because the perpetrator is a religious figure or a leader of a pesantren.
Research by PPIM UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta for 2023–2024, involving 514 pesantren, found that 1.06% of the 43,000 pesantren in Indonesia are vulnerable to sexual violence. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Religious Affairs is currently preparing new regulations and codes of conduct for the management of pesantren as a preventative measure. Additionally, the Minister of Social Affairs, Gus Ipul, has strongly condemned the abuse at Ponpes Ndolo Kusumo Pati, demanding the heaviest possible penalties for perpetrators and guaranteeing full recovery for the victims.