Domination Of Religious Teachers Against Santri Causes Sexual Violence To Repeat

Poster of rejection of sexual violence during the peaceful demonstration of Gadjah Mada University, the Emergency of Sexual Violence at the UGM Fisipol Campus, Sleman, DI Yogyakarta. (Between/Andreas Fitri Atmoko)

JAKARTA The rise of cases of sexual violence that occurred in religious-based educational institutions is troubling the community. In fact, educational institutions, both general and religious-based, should be a safe and comfortable place for students.

Recently, the public was again shocked by the news that a kiai person with the initials KI, (48 years old), from one of the Islamic boarding schools (Ponpes) in Moko District, Kediri Regency, East Java, was sentenced to 3 years and 5 months in prison and a fine of Rp. 20 million by the Kediri District Court (PN).

KI was found guilty of obscenity and sexual intercourse with her female student with the initials YI (22) in the Ponpes environment.

The public may have been embarrassed by the news about sexual abuse by kiai individuals. Not long ago, the panel of judges at the Jember District Court, East Java, sentenced the caretaker of the pesantren, Muhammad Fahim Mawardi (FM) to 8 years in prison in the case of sexual abuse of female students.

The chairman of the Panel of Judges, Alfonsus Nahak, stated that the defendant Kiai FM was legally and convincingly proven to have committed a criminal act of obscenity, namely utilizing the same order in terms of position to commit obscene acts. In addition to eight years in prison, FM was also sentenced to a fine of Rp. 50 million.

A little back, at the end of 2022 news about sexual abuse by the child of the Jombang kiai, Moch Subechi Azal Tsani (MSAT) alias Mas Bechi also shocked the public. He was sentenced to seven years in prison after committing sexual abuse against the student of the Shiddiqiyayah Islamic Boarding School, Jombang.

From year to year, cases of sexual abuse in Islamic boarding schools seem to never subside. The public also wondered why cases like this are always repeated?

Komnas Perempuan Commissioner Siti Aminah Tardi said that cases of sexual violence that have occurred in Islamic boarding schools recently are actually not a new phenomenon.

The courage of victims who want to speak up and have awareness that sexual violence in Islamic boarding schools has made these cases known to the public.

According to Siti, sexual violence that often occurs in pesantren environments is caused by the'relation of unequal power' between children dealing with adults, women dealing with men, students or female students who are dealing with teachers, and laymen dealing with someone with religious knowledge authorities.

"This relationship circuit is increasingly vulnerable when the victim is in a residential environment separate from the protection of his parents or guardians," said Siti.

In addition, clinical and forensic psychologist Reza Indragiri Amriel has a similar view regarding the causes of rampant cases of sexual abuse that occur in religious-based educational circles

"The closed curvature and pattern of the relationship that was built was marked by religious teachers as the dominant party and santri as a sub-missionive party," Reza told VOI.

"In addition, the perpetrator has become a recidivist thanks to the absence of action," Reza added.

According to a report by the National Commission on Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan), it shows that pesantren ranks second in terms of cases of sexual violence in the 2015-2020 period.

From the Komnas Perempuan report until October 27, 2021, during the 2015-2020 period there were 51 complaints of cases of sexual violence in the educational environment. In the report, Komnas Perempuan revealed that the most cases of sexual violence occurred in universities with 27 percent. Then, 19 percent occurred in Islamic Islamic Islamic boarding schools or education-based, 15 percent occurred at the high school/vocational level, 7 percent occurred at the junior high school level, and 3 percent respectively in kindergartens, elementary, SLB, and Christian-based education.

However, at the same time, Reza Indragiri Amriel rejected the assumption that sexual abuse only occurred in Islamic boarding schools. According to him, similar cases were also carried out by other religious leaders.

The man who graduated from the University of Indonesia gave an example of a case in the early 2000s, when Pope Yohannes Paulus finally recognized cases of child molestation in the church environment.

"This means that sexual crimes against children can occur in any community," said Reza.

In February 2023, the Independent Commission for the Study of Child Sexual Harassment at the Catholic Church in Portugal released a final report that authorized the testimony of sexual harassment cases between 1950 and 2022, highlighting more than 4,800 victims.

Quoted by Qualitative Criminology, sexual harassment in a diversity has been the focus of coverage of various media for nearly 50 years. However, the topic has received renewed attention over the past two decades with shocking reports of widespread sexual harassment and cover-up efforts within the Roman Catholic Church, as described in detail by The Boston Globe.

Despite the rampant cases of sexual abuse in educational institutions, the perpetrator of sexual abuse who is usually a teacher or a respected figure often still gets special treatment from the surrounding community.

This can be seen from the large number of local residents who hindered the police when they were about to forcefully pick up MSAT, the suspect in the sexual abuse of female students at the Shiddiqiyah Ploso Islamic Boarding School, Jombang Regency, East Java.

Reza explained that this phenomenon occurred because the public still did not believe that crime was committed by a figure who was supposed to protect students.

"The public does not believe that teachers and schools, which are identified as figures and places of seeding, can become perpetrators and locations of crime," he explained.

"The emotional bond of kadung is built tightly," concluded Reza.