‘Stand firm against sexual violence’

Education, Culture, Research and Technology Minister Nadiem Makarim has defended a regulation he recently signed aimed at tackling sexual violence at universities following pushback from certain groups, which have called for the revocation of the regulation over concerns that it could imply legalisation of extramarital sex.

Speaking in a webinar, Nadiem explained that the regulation was issued only to tackle and prevent cases of sexual violence in the country’s higher education institutions and rejected the critics’ interpretation that it legalised consensual extramarital sex.

“The ministry does not support any acts that are not aligned with religious and moral norms. The regulation was designed to tackle a specific type of violence, which is sexual violence, with clear definitions,” said Nadiem.

He said the regulation was issued in response to what he called a “sexual violence pandemic” in the country’s higher education institutions, citing both an internal survey by the ministry and external surveys.

For instance, 27% of cases of sexual abuse between 2015 and 2020 were reported to occur at universities, according to data from the National Commission on Violence Against Women. The ministry’s internal survey conducted last year revealed 77% of lecturers said that cases of sexual violence had occurred at their universities and 63% said the cases were not reported.

Following the issuance of the regulation, Nadiem said he hoped it would help prevent future cases of sexual violence.

“Now is the time for us to be firm against sexual violence. This regulation is a signal for the academic community that the government is here to protect you, our children and the future generation.”

Nadiem’s statement came following calls from some groups to revoke the decree, arguing that it contradicts the religious norms in the country.

Politicians from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) have also been vocal in their rejection of the decree for similar reason.

Not all groups, however, rejected the regulation. Some groups, such as the Nahdlatul Ulama Family Welfare Institute and the Indonesian Women’s Ulema Congress, have shown their support for the ministerial decree they deemed important to protect victims of sexual violence at universities.

The recently published regulation has provided a wider definition of sexual violence, which includes verbal, non-physical and physical sexual assault, as well as assault through information and communication technology.

Under the regulation, punishable actions include sexually charged jokes, catcalls, whistles and leering, all of which are frequently overlooked in the spectrum of sexual misconduct or normalised as jokes or compliments. — The Jakarta Post/ANN