Jasra Putra 'KPAI': Kasus Pelecehan Seksual oleh Kiai Pesantren di Pati adalah Fenomena Gunung Es

JAKARTA - Deputy Chairman of the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) Jasra Putra assessed that the case of alleged sexual violence committed by Ashari, 51, a kiai and caretaker of the Tahfidzul Quran Ndolo Kusumo Islamic Boarding School, Pati, Central Java, was like an iceberg phenomenon.

"Therefore, we must dismantle everything. Don't let it be left alone, and don't make the parents of the victims feel afraid, or make the victims feel threatened by the relationship of power and so on. So we have to move," he said when talking to Eddy Wijaya in the EdShareOn podcast which aired on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.

Ashari is a suspect in the alleged rape case of dozens of female students who are his students at the pesantren. From the results of the investigation, Ashari was known to have molested his students in different locations, under the pretext of having to obey his orders as a religious teacher.

Jasra said that KPAI is still investigating this case. Including the fact that the immoral case committed by Ashari had started in February 2020 until January 2024, but the legal handling was slow.

Until the allegations emerged, Ashari had a "backing" that made him temporarily untouchable by law. This is certainly in contrast to the suffering of the victims, one of whom even got pregnant and gave birth.

"That's why one of our recommendations is that this case be withdrawn to the Central Java Police. Let the police work, because according to our analysis, the Pati Police seem to be not strong enough to handle cases of this magnitude," said Jasra.

In this case, Jasra considered that Ashari should be given a reprimand. Moreover, the victim is suspected to have more than 50 female students.

"Because in the Child Protection Law, if the perpetrator is a close person such as a teacher, caregiver, or parent, the threat of punishment must be increased by one third. Even if the victim is more than three people and the child has a mental disorder, the perpetrator can be sentenced to death."

According to Jasra, the government must seriously resolve this case. One of them is to immediately pass the Child Care Bill which has been proposed by the KPAI for the past ten years. This bill is said by Jasra to be an effort to prevent violence against children because it talks about parenting patterns in the family sphere. From the KPAI survey in 2020, almost 60 percent of the 13 thousand parents did not know how to properly care for children.

If it is later passed, the Child Care Bill is also expected to prevent the recurrence of cases of violence against hundreds of toddlers in daycare centers or Daycare Little Aresha Yogyakarta.

As is known, from the raid by the Yogyakarta Police on April 24, 2026 revealed that there was physical violence received by the toddler who was a foster child at Little Aresha. From the investigation, the police named 13 caregivers and administrators of the foundation as suspects.

Jasra explained that the unfortunate incident in Little Aresha showed that the supervision mechanism for informal childcare institutions was still vulnerable. From the results of the KPAI study in 2019, almost 44 percent of daycare centers in 9 provinces in Indonesia, including DIY, did not have legal permits to operate. In addition, the average childcare staff is only a high school graduate who is not trained and does not understand child development psychology, and has excessive working hours.

To prevent similar incidents from happening again, Jasra explained, there must be a tightening of child care institution permits. With permission or legality, the government has an instrument to monitor daycare operations.

"The local government should have the obligation to ensure that all public services are monitored. Because when there is a permit, there is an automatic monitoring instrument," said Jasra. "What we have been loving is that it seems like we have to wait for a victim to fall before we fuss."

The viral case of forcibly cutting the hair of a student at SMKN 2 Garut by her Guidance Counselor teacher is considered to prove that schools in Indonesia are not yet fully child-friendly. Deputy Chairman of the KPAI Jasra Putra said that the action was a serious violation of children's rights.

"It is a pity that a BK teacher who should understand adolescent psychology, actually committed a violation by cutting the hair of a hijab-wearing student without first having a dialogue," Jasra told Eddy Wijaya in the EdShareOn podcast which aired on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.

The BK teacher of SMKN 2 Garut cut the hair of a hijab-wearing student after there were reports from male students who felt there was discrimination in the rules about hair. Because, if there is a sanction for students whose hair is dyed conspicuously, the school does not impose a similar punishment for hijab-wearing students. As a result, the BK teacher spontaneously cut the hair of the student who was dyed conspicuously. After the action went viral, SMKN 2 Garut apologized to the public.

Jasra explained that there were four basic principles in the Child Protection Law. Namely the principle of non-discrimination, the best interests of the child, child development, and listening to the child's opinion. Jasra considered that these four principles were not used at all by BK teachers at SMKN 2 Garut.

"Therefore, we at the KPAI immediately coordinated and asked the local Education Office to give a firm sanction (to the teacher who committed the act)."

Currently, said Jasra, the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education is encouraging the revitalization of the function of BK teachers. The goal is that BK teachers are not just seen as "school police" whose hobby is to punish students. Because, however, the approach of physical sanctions does not solve the problem, it can even lead to criminal charges if the students' parents report to the police.

"We agree on discipline, but the discipline must be positive. The paradigm of teachers who threaten and punish physically is no longer relevant in today's time," he said.

Eddy Wijaya is a podcaster born on August 17, 1972. Through the YouTube account @EdShareOn, Eddy interviewed many national figures ranging from state officials, legal experts, political experts, national politicians, to local celebrities. The man with a right cheek dimple is also a nationalist who is an activist for the marginalized and social observers by helping the community through the Wijaya Peduli Bangsa Foundation.

He is also active in the field of sports by serving as the Chairman of the Indonesian Equestrian Sports Association (Pordasi) Pacu and also served as Deputy General Chairman of the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) East Jakarta. Eddy also served as an Advisor to the Indonesian Chinese Social Association, 2022-2026.

His ideas were formed because of his hard work to be independent from the age of 13 to be successful as he is now. For Eddy, the world of work is not as smooth as imagined, failure and rejection are common. This is what makes him hold on to the tagline "Success is just a matter of time". (ADV)