The Ministry of Religion Withdraws Permission for Ponpes that is Involved in Sexual Violence

Deputy Minister of Religion, Romo Muhammad Syafi'i. (Ministry of Religion)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Religion has begun taking drastic steps against pesantren pondok that are dragged into allegations of sexual violence. Pesantren Registered Permits can be revoked, new students are prohibited from being accepted, and managers who know the case but do not act are evaluated.

Deputy Minister of Religion, Romo Muhammad Syafi'i, said that the revocation of the permit was carried out as a form of protection for students, as well as a warning for religious education institutions not to turn a blind eye to sexual violence.

"The steps taken by the Ministry of Religion have revoked the permit, they are not allowed to accept new students, those who are considered to know but do not do anything have been deactivated, and the perpetrators have been processed legally," said the Deputy Minister of Religion in Jakarta, Wednesday, May 13, 2026.

According to the Minister of Religion, the perpetrators must be severely punished if found guilty in court. Sexual violence, said the Minister of Religion, not only destroys the victim, but also damages public confidence in pesantren as an educational institution and character formation.

"If proven legally, the perpetrator must be punished as heavily as possible so that it has a deterrent effect. This action has a traumatic impact on the victim and can reduce public confidence in pesantren," he said.

This attitude refers to the authority of the Ministry of Religion in granting the registered permit for pesantren as regulated in Article 6 of Law Number 18 of 2019 concerning Pesantren and Article 10 of the Minister of Religion Regulation Number 30 of 2020.

The Ministry of Religion has revoked the registered permit for the Ndolo Kusumo Pondok Pesantren in Tlogosari Village, Tlogowungu District, Pati Regency, Central Java. The revocation was carried out after a case of alleged sexual violence by the pond's caregiver against the female students emerged.

Head of the Pati Regency Religious Affairs Office, Ahmad Syaiku, said his party had carried out factual verification and compliance evaluation on May 4, 2026. The results became the basis for the revocation of the permit which took effect on May 5, 2026.

"We do not tolerate sexual violence perpetrators in the slightest," said Ahmad Syaiku at a press conference at Mapolresta Pati.

The Ministry of Religion ensures that the rights of student education are still protected. A total of 252 students have been sent home to their respective parents and are temporarily following online learning. The Ministry of Religion has also prepared an assessment for the transfer of students to other pesantren or madrasahs.

A similar step was taken by the Lampung Regional Office of the Ministry of Religion against the Nurul Jadid Islamic Boarding School in Mesuji Regency. Head of the Lampung Regional Office of the Ministry of Religion, Zulkarnain, said that the boarding school permit was being processed for revocation after allegations of sexual violence against female students emerged.

"The Ponpes is no longer functioning and is currently in the process of revoking the permit," said Zulkarnain.