Sexual Violence Emergency in Education, Can Teachers Still Be Trusted?

By Aura Hasna Nisrina

(Mahasiswi Jurusan Sastra Inggris UIN Sunan Gunung Djati)

In the past year, many cases of sexual violence have occurred, even in unexpected places, such as educational institutions. Ironically, schools, which should be a place of protection and safety for students, have become the location of violence. Parents entrust their children to receive education and guidance, but their security is threatened in what should be a safe and trusted environment.

Federasi Serikat Guru Indonesia (FSGI) stated that during the year from January to September 2024 there were 101 victims of sexual violence in education units. 69% of the victims were boys and 31% were girls.

In FSGI's monitoring of mass media coverage, during September 2024 there were 12 cases of violence in schools. These cases consisted of 6 cases of sexual violence, 5 cases of physical violence, and 1 case of psychological violence.

“It was noted that 8 cases of sexual violence, 62.5% or 5 cases occurred in educational institutions under the Ministry of Religion and 3 cases occurred in boarding education units. Meanwhile, 37.5% of cases occurred in education units under the authority of the Ministry of Religion,” wrote the FSGI statement on Saturday (10/8/2024).

There were 62.5% of cases that occurred at the SMP/MTs/Monpes education level and 37.5% of cases of sexual violence that occurred at the SD/MI education level. These cases are only some of those recorded by FSGI from January-August 2024.

In 8 cases, the perpetrators of sexual violence were teachers and students. The perpetrators were male teachers in 72% and male students in 28%.

The 8 cases were found in six provinces, namely Yogyakarta and Gunung Kidul District, Gorontalo, Palembang, Bojonegoro and Gresik Districts in East Java, Agam District in West Sumatra, and Karawang District in West Java.

In the school and campus environment, sexual violence can take the form of physical, verbal harassment, to sexual intimidation, which occurs either between students, or teachers and students. This sexual violence is usually accompanied by abuse of power, where the perpetrator who has higher authority, uses his position to exploit the victim.

As educators, teachers are not only responsible for teaching academic material, but should also be the ones who maintain safety and comfort in the learning environment. A teacher should be a protector, not a threat.

However, there are many cases where teachers who are supposed to be protectors instead act as perpetrators of sexual violence.

“Most of this sexual violence occurs in schools, and most of the perpetrators are teachers,” said National Coordinator of Jaringan Pemantau Pendidikan Indonesia (Kornas JPPI) Ubaid Matraji to Jawapos.com.

“The school should be a place where children learn about character education, about good morals, about morality, about ethics. Instead, all of that is trampled on at school, and the actors are teachers. That is very regrettable,” said Ubaid. 

A recent example of sexual cases in schools is the viral video of a teacher DV (57) having sex with a 12th grade student from a Madrasah in Gorontalo. DV has been doing this since January 2024.

It is known that all this time, DV manipulated the victim, who was still underage and orphaned, by giving her more affection. Finally, the teenage victim fell to the teacher's persuasion until she was willing to be invited to have sex.

Apart from the school level, sexual violence also often occurs in the campus environment.

“The number of cases of violence that have occurred so far shows the low awareness and mechanism for handling sexual violence in higher education,” said Chairwoman of DPR RI Puan Maharani.

Puan noted that there are still several cases of sexual violence that have occurred recently. One of them is a case of alleged sexual violence at a university in the Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY). According to information, as many as 17 female students and alumni were allegedly victims of sexual harassment by a lecturer. The highlight is the lack of real action from the campus to solve this problem. In fact, there are female students who have been traumatized and forced to stop studying due to the incident.

The fact that this sexual violence was committed by a person with authority in the education system raises serious questions about student protection and the safety of the learning environment. When teachers or lecturers, who are supposed to be role models and mentors, become perpetrators of violence, the impact is far more destructive. In addition to damaging students' and parents' trust in educational institutions, these cases also cause long-term trauma for victims. 

The increasing number of sexual violence cases in the educational environment makes the question of trust in teachers increasingly common. Cases of sexual violence involving teachers have caused a deep crisis of confidence among parents, students, and the general public.

However, it is important to remember that not all teachers are involved in these despicable acts. The majority of teachers uphold professional ethics and are responsible for the welfare and education of their students. Nonetheless, every case of sexual violence involving teachers has a huge impact on the overall image of the teaching profession. Under these conditions, many people are wondering: Can teachers still be trusted? 

In order to restore trust in teachers, various ways are needed. For example, every educational institution should have a clear and firm policy on sexual violence, including a safe and anonymous reporting mechanism. Often, victims of sexual violence are reluctant to report because they are afraid that they will not be heard or are worried that they will face pressure from the school. Another mechanism that can be implemented is a reassessment of the recruitment and supervision procedures of teaching staff. Schools and campuses should be more selective in recruiting teachers and staff, including conducting in-depth background checks.

Violence in schools and campuses has reached an emergency level that requires serious attention. The cases revealed show the weakness of the protection system for students. Ironically, teachers who are supposed to protect, sometimes become perpetrators, triggering a crisis of trust. Students, who should feel safe, are instead trapped in threatening situations, while the process of reporting and handling cases is often slow, non-transparent, or even ignores victims.

However, combating sexual violence in education is not only the responsibility of institutions, but also of all of us: teachers, parents, students, government and society. Only with solid cooperation and concrete actions can we end this crisis and ensure every student can learn without fear.