JAKARTA - The National Commission on Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan) urges the case of alleged sexual harassment against a number of female students and lecturers in the Faculty of Law at the University of Indonesia (FH UI) to be handled legally.
"We appreciate the courage of the victim who has spoken out and reported this case to the task force. We urge that this case be handled in accordance with the applicable law in full, not reduced to merely an ethical violation," said Komnas Perempuan member Devi Rahayu as reported by ANTARA, Wednesday, April 15.
His party regrets the occurrence of this case because the campus should be a safe and equal public space for all academic community, not a space that perpetuates violence and gender inequality.
According to him, the actions of the perpetrators fall under the category of Electronic-Based Sexual Violence (KSBE) or Online Gender-Based Violence (KBGO).
This form of violence is explicitly regulated in Law Number 12 concerning Sexual Violence Crimes (TPKS Law), both through Article 5 which regulates non-physical sexual harassment and Article 14 which regulates sexual violence through electronic means.
Komnas Perempuan also reminded that the existing code of ethics mechanism on campus is not a substitute for legal proceedings.
"The two can run in parallel. Handling that solely relies on internal channels can risk perpetuating impunity and has the potential to be copied and send a message of sexual violence on campus that is quite resolved internally," said Komnas Perempuan Member Sondang Frishka.
According to him, handling this case can refer to the Regulation of the Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Number 55 of 2024 concerning the Prevention and Handling of Violence in the Higher Education Environment, which requires the task force to follow up on reports comprehensively and does not rule out the possibility of legal proceedings.
"Formal legal processes also need to be opened as widely as possible for victims who choose the criminal path, without administrative obstacles, and without pressure from the campus environment," said Sondang Frishka.
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