Top Indonesian university suspends 16 law students over alleged sexual harassment

JAKARTA: A top university in Indonesia has suspended 16 law students over alleged sexual harassment, with the government on Wednesday (Apr 15) pledging zero tolerance for all forms of violence on campus.

The case involving students from the University of Indonesia (UI) has gone viral online and placed the institution under growing public pressure and scrutiny, according to local media reports.

At least 20 students and seven lecturers were targeted in a student chat group containing inappropriate content, according to a legal representative of several purported victims, local media reported. 

Screenshots of alleged conversations in the group trended on social media platform X on Sunday, showing messages that included vulgar remarks, sexually explicit jokes and the objectification of female students and lecturers, according to news outlet The Jakarta Post. 

The 16 alleged perpetrators have been suspended from Apr 15 to May 30 this year, according to news outlet Tempo. During this period, they are barred from participating in all academic activities, including lectures. 

They are also not allowed to be on campus premises except for investigation-related purposes conducted by the university’s Violence Prevention and Handling Task Force, or urgent matters supervised by the university. 

The university said it is closely monitoring the situation to prevent any direct or indirect interaction between the alleged perpetrators and victims or witnesses during the investigation process.

“This step is taken as part of the university’s commitment to ensure that investigations are carried out objectively, to protect all parties involved and maintain a conducive academic environment,” said Erwin Agustian Panigoro, director of public relations, media, government and international relations at UI on Wednesday, as quoted by Tempo. 

Indonesia’s Higher Education, Science and Technology Minister Brian Yuliarto said universities must ensure an environment that is safe, inclusive and free from all forms of violence.

“Any act that degrades human dignity is a serious violation and must be handled earnestly, fairly and with a focus on protecting victims,” said Brian, as quoted by Kompas. 

“I have coordinated with the rector and we continue to monitor the progress of this case, including ensuring that victims receive proper protection and assistance.” 

He added that his ministry has coordinated with the UI rector and will continue monitoring the case. 

The prevention and handling of violence in higher education, which covers physical, verbal, psychological and sexual violence, as well as bullying, discrimination and intolerance, is addressed under the government’s Ministerial Regulation No. 55/2024.

This regulation requires all universities to establish a Task Force for the Prevention and Handling of Violence in Higher Education and to ensure victim protection. Any criminal elements, if found, will be processed under Indonesia’s Sexual Violence Crime Law, according to Jakarta Globe.

The ministry said it is overseeing the university’s task force and pushing for transparency in the investigation. 

Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Arifatul Choifi Fauzi has also condemned the incident and vowed to ensure the university handles the case transparently and without interference, Jakarta Post reported. 

The case has prompted other students in the university to hold a student forum earlier this week at the UI’s campus in Depok, on the outskirts of Jakarta.

Social media clips circulating showed enraged students demanding an apology from the 16 alleged perpetrators, some of whom are officials at student organisations, reported Jakarta Post. 

Videos of the alleged offenders appearing at a campus auditorium to issue an apology went viral. 

The university’s student union on Tuesday called for their expulsion while urging the university to “fully investigate all unresolved sexual violence cases” at UI. 

Meanwhile, education watchdog the Network for Education Watch Indonesia (JPPI) recorded 233 cases of violence in schools, universities and other educational institutions this year, nearly half of which involved sexual violence, local media reported. 

Most incidents had occurred in schools and 11 per cent were reported in universities. 

JPPI spokesperson Ubaid Matraji said on Wednesday that the persistence of sexual violence on campuses is a crisis reflecting systemic failure to ensure educational institutions are safe for students. 

Ubaid called for mandatory gender and sexual education in the university curriculum, citing insufficient preventive measures from universities’ anti-sexual violence task forces which, he said, often prioritise institutional reputation over victim safety. 

“Existing regulations may look good on paper but the implementations are toothless,” he reportedly said.