By: Ahmad Hadid
7 hundreds santri (students of Islamic boarding school) filled the hall on the third floor of the Nahdlatul Umam Campus building at the Kempek Islamic Boarding School, Cirebon Regency, on Saturday October 21, 2023. They attended the National Santri Day Seminar held by the Santri Kempek Student Council in collaboration with Umah Ramah, Head of the Women and Child Protection Unit (Kanit PPA), the Cirebon Police Criminal Investigation Unit (Sat Reskrim Polresta Cirebon), and the Regional Indonesian Child Protection Commission (Komisi Perlindungan Anak Indonesia Daerah; KPAID) Cirebon Regency.
The seminar was entitled “Jihad Santri Melawan Kekerasan Seksual dan Bullying” (Students Fight Against Sexual Violence and Bullying). The Chief Executive, Wahyu Ilahi, said that this event was a series of activities to commemorate National Santri Day held by his Islamic boarding school. The theme was deliberately taken as an elaboration of the theme of National Santri Day, namely “Jihad Santri” (jihad; fight) and the unrest that occurred in Islamic boarding schools, namely cases related to sexual violence and bullying.
“Islamic boarding schools need to handle cases of sexual violence and bullying which often occur among students,” he said.
The speakers were Abdul Rosyidi from Umah Ramah, IPTU Sujiani Dwi Hartati, S.H from the Cirebon Police, and Hj. Fifi Sofiyah from the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAID) Cirebon Regency.
In his delivery, Umah Ramah Researcher, Abdul Rosyidi, expressed his appreciation to the organizing committee for presenting hundreds of male student participants. Because, usually, participants who attend seminars on sexual violence are mostly women. In fact, according to him, the ones with the greatest potential to become perpetrators are men, although it does not rule out the possibility that each of us could also become perpetrators.
Apart from that, what is often overlooked in discussing cases of sexual violence is that it only focuses on big cases such as molestation, rape and sexual intercourse even though these are the culmination of tragedies that are fostered from ‘small’ acts such as catcalling and sexist jokes.
“In our research regarding sexual violence in Islamic boarding schools, what often occurs is sexual harassment. The students usually jokingly pull off their friends’ sarongs. This is one of sexual violence acts which is often unrealized and is only considered as a joke,” he explained.
The Head of the PPA Criminal Investigation Unit for the Cirebon Police, Sujiani Dwi Hartati, emphasized that the number of cases of sexual violence in the Cirebon regency has recorded forty cases as of today. Apart from that, there were more than a hundred reported cases of domestic violence, trafficking, child exploitation and physical violence.
“To anticipate acts of sexual violence and bullying, students need to instill an attitude of empathy so that they can feel the pain and discomfort felt by other people when bullying and sexual violence befall them,” she said.
Cases of bullying and sexual violence are sometimes not reported to the police. This happened because the victims felt deep fear that they were unable to report it. The Head of the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAID) Cirebon Regency, Fifi Sofiah said she felt sad about the social interactions of children today. Bullying and sexual violence seem to be tolerated even though it is detrimental to oneself, one’s parents, and one’s place of study to gain knowledge.
“We often handle cases of bullying and sexual violence that cannot be reported to the police for several reasons,” she said. []
This article was translated by Napol Riel.