Komnas Perempuan Encourages Public Transportation Operators To Have Guidelines For Dealing With Cases Of Sexual Violence

Commuter KRL passengers at Cikarang Station, Bakasi Regency. (PT KAI)

JAKARTA - The Chair of the National Commission for Women's Community Participation Sub-Commission, Veryanto Sitohang, encourages operators of the public transportation system to have guidelines in dealing with cases of sexual violence in public transportation.

"The most important thing is that all (operators) of these public transportation modes have guidelines for preventing and handling cases of sexual violence in their respective institutions," he said, in Jakarta, Wednesday, June 29.

In handling cases of sexual violence on public transportation, Veryanto said, operators of the public transportation system are not mandated to provide assistance to victims.

Therefore, he continued, guidelines in dealing with cases of sexual violence are important so that officers can immediately act appropriately when they know there is a victim.

She added that the National Women's Commission was ready to provide guidance on how to prevent and deal with cases of sexual violence.

"Komnas Perempuan is ready to collaborate with them, provide them with knowledge and share experiences on how to handle cases like this," he said.

He also appealed to victims not to hesitate to report crimes similar to those experienced in public transportation, because victims of sexual violence have now received protection with the ratification of the Act on Prevention of Sexual Violence (TPKS).

He understands that many victims of sexual violence on public transportation are reluctant to continue the legal process against the perpetrators due to various reasons, including the stigma of society towards victims and fears that their cases will not be followed up due to lack of evidence.

However, with the enactment of the TPKS Law, the testimony of victims is sufficient to become the basis for law enforcement officers to ensnare the perpetrators. "In the TPKS Law, it has been opened, for example, a victim witness is a sufficient witness for this case to be followed up, it may be one of the breakthroughs or conveniences," he said.

He also expressed his appreciation to PT Kereta Api Indonesia in cracking down on cases of sexual harassment in its mode of transportation.

In this case, PT KAI has taken firm action by including the registration number of the alleged perpetrator of sexual harassment on the train into a black list so that the person concerned is not allowed to board the train.

"We certainly appreciate the steps taken by KAI, for this one week they have been active and continuously socializing what sexual violence is and then how we can prevent and deal with it," he concluded.