Preventing Sexual Violence on Campus, UNAIR PPKS Task Force: Understand the Flow of Reporting

As a follow-up to the Socialization of the Task Force for Prevention and Handling of Sexual Violence (Satgas PPKS) regarding Regulation of the Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Number 30 of 2021 concerning Prevention and Handling of Sexual Violence within Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) on January 5, 2023, the Task Force PPKS UNAIR held socialization in all UNAIR faculties, one of which was UNAIR Faculty of Law (FH UNAIR). The socialization was held on Friday (10/3/2023) in the Pancasila Hall, Building A FH UNAIR, and was attended by the Head of UNAIR PPKS Task Force, Prof. Myrtati Dyah Artaria, Dra., MA., Ph.D.; UNAIR PPKS Task Force Secretary Tristania Faisa Adam; and PPKS UNAIR staff.

 

Prof. Myrta explained “Policies in the Prevention and Handling of Sexual Violence in UNAIR”. Even in the UNAIR campus environment, there are often unpleasant comments from colleagues. Apart from making inappropriate comments, catcalling still happens frequently.

 

“Starting from catcalling, rape, to forced abortions. Catcalling also includes whistling, squealing, and the like with sexual nuances,” said Prof. Myrta.

 

Based on Article 1 paragraph (1) Permendikbud Number 30 of 2021, what is meant by sexual violence is any act of humiliating, humiliating, harassing, and/or attacking a person’s body and/or reproductive function because of an imbalance in power relations and/or gender, which result in or may result in psychological and/or physical suffering including those that interfere with a person’s reproductive health and the loss of the opportunity to carry out higher education safely and optimally. Then, according to Article 1 point 1 of Law Number 12 of 2022 concerning Crimes of Sexual Violence (TPKS Law), what is meant by criminal acts of sexual violence are all acts that fulfill the elements of a crime as stipulated in the law and acts of sexual violence other.

 

Permendikbud Number 30 of 2021 regulates administrative sanctions for sexual violence, and the TPKS Law regulates criminal sanctions for sexual violence. In addition to these two regulations, Law Number 35 of 2014 concerning Amendments to Law Number 23 of 2002 concerning Child Protection, and Law Number 23 of 2004 concerning the Elimination of Domestic Violence also regulate sexual violence.

 

“Article 4 paragraph (1) of the TPKS Law explains what constitutes a crime of sexual violence, including non-physical sexual harassment, physical- sexual harassment, forced contraception, forced marriage, sexual torture, sexual exploitation, sexual slavery, and online sex-based violence” explained Prof. Myrta.

 

Prof. Myrta emphasized that victims of harassment were women and men. Sexual harassment in the workplace can lead to uncomfortable and toxic work dynamics. However, until now, the work area is still included in the gray area associated with permissive culture, giving rise to debate about whether the things that are being done have sexual violence or not.

 

“Just embrace it, just kiss it. It doesn’t hurt. Even though that is harassment. Holding without consent, inappropriate comments, sending inappropriate pictures, and other indecent things are also harassment, even in this campus environment,” said Prof. Myrta.

 

Prof. Myrta also explained what is meant by tonic immobility. Tonic immobility is when a person becomes rigid and unable to move in response to intense fear. Victims who experience tonic immobility cannot think clearly, so they cannot move and scream when experiencing sexual violence. This condition of tonic immobility makes victims of sexual violence often blamed for not fighting back, calling, or running away when experiencing violence, even though tonic immobility is a form of response from the victim’s sense of shock.

 

“Reporting of cases of sexual violence is still tiny compared to subjects that occurred. There are several reasons why victims are afraid to report sexual violence, including deep trauma, fear that the perpetrator will give more severe retaliation, fear of being insulted by society, to the reason that the perpetrator seems to be seen as a pious and reasonable person in the eyes of the public” she explained.

 

For information, the PPKS UNAIR Task Force reporting flow can be seen in the diagram below. Victims who report may also be accompanied by others they trust when the PPKS Task Force interviews them.