Pride vs Protection — The Fight Against Sexual Assault in Universities
Sexual assault cases had long been happening — specifically in Universities. While most cases would be solved completely with the help of authorities, it is not rare that some sexual assault cases would go undone. Some universities would even try to “shut off” the victim’s mouth — in fear of damaging their reputation as an institution. Agni’s case, is a prime example of just that.
One Scary Night
December 2017 — approximately 2 years ago, an issue about sexual assault done in one of Indonesia’s renowned Universities, Gadjah Mada University (UGM), has been prevalent throughout online media. It triggered upheaval among internet users, especially that of most Indonesians. The issue was said to have happened to Agni, one of the students of UGM who was undergoing a community service program in Maluku, on the month of June. It was initially speculated that Agni was sexually assaulted by her group mate, HS.
And this speculation — turned out to be true and was then further exposed to the public. It was then specified that HS, sexually assaulted Agni one night on their stay in one of the houses of the nearby villagers, forcing her to have an intercourse whilst deliberately touching her. The following day, Agni decided to contact one of her friends — as a result of the sheer trauma that she had to sustain on that gloomy, rainy night.
The Cry for Help
After hearing Agni’s daunting account, her friend told Agni to report the incident to the field coordinators. Agni however, was scared that she would be slandered — that no one would trust her and that everyone would end up blaming her for what had happened that night. Despite her hesitance and fears, her friend proceeded to report the incident anyways.
It then blew up in an instance. Most of the circle knew what was going on — and what has happened to Agni. In her defense, she was powerless. She did not know what to do. She was scarred, stressed — and even was on the verge of taking herself to the afterlife.
Agni’s fight for protection was a tall mountain to climb — her reports to the supervisors didn’t seem to provide her the protection and the justice that she needed. Her initial assumption was right — most of the supervisors didn’t believe her story, with the assumption of what Agni and HS did that night was on the basis of mutual love. They even tried to call HS, forcing him to confess and admit his doings towards Agni that night. Through the phone, HS simply told the supervisors that he “accidentally” touched Agni. Ironically, the supervisors simply believed of what HS said. The supervisors came up with the conclusion that Agni was also the one to blame in this incident. This, of course, provoked a sense of indignation out of Agni.
Regardless, she didn’t give up. Her fight for advocacy continued. From trying to gather evidence to seeking for enforcement, she did whatever it took. She also resorted to Rifka Annisa, a women crisis center to seek for haven. She was then diagnosed with chronic depression. Agni also sought for help through the Psychology Consultation Unit of UGM, which she then was registered to a psychiatrist in the hospital of UGM.
This case, of course, inevitably rose up in social media. A lot of people rallied behind Agni, making the issue known and even creating petitions — demanding that HS be punished and that Agni deserves the protection she needed.
However, she was blamed by her supervisor to have used a “third party” (which is Rifka Annisa) to solve the case, while the supervisors believed that the case should be solved exclusively by Agni, HS and the authorities of UGM themselves.
In the middle of November, she received the grades of the community service program she took — in which she got a mind boggling C. This, of course, moved Agni to issue a complain to her supervisors, noting that most of her group mates got an A. Adam Pamudji Rahardjo, her field supervisor, told Agni that she should forward her complain to Djaka, the head of the community service program. After complaining to Djaka, Agni was told that it was his “right” to give Agni said score. This was seen as an unfair treatment — or some might say, a threat — A perilous threat towards Agni, that if she were to voice out the sexual assault she experienced and continue to seek advocacy, she would be served with such low grades — or even threatened with expulsion.
They made a wasteland, but called it “peace”
The long road of Agni’s sexual assault case has finally reached a verdict — as stated by Panut Mulyono, the rector of UGM, on Monday, 4 February 2019. He told the public that Agni, HS and himself had signed a “peace” agreement — noting that the problem had been solved in a peaceful manner, and that Agni has forgived HS.
This abruptly provoked outrage from the public — with most saying that HS deserves a much heavier punishment, and if this were to pass, it means that UGM takes sexual assault lightly.
Despite UGM claiming that the case has been solved, it does not necessarily mean that it is the end for Agni and other kinds of sexual harassment advocacy. UGM’s unilateral claim is a clear effort to frame the case in its favor. Agni’s legal team has called out UGM and media’s usage of the word “damai”.
And this raises a big question mark — was this done to keep UGM’s name and reputation away from stain?
Pride or Protection?
Universities are devoted to give the best level of education and a comfortable learning environment for their students. This, also comes with them trying to conceive a good image for themselves and trying to keep up their reputation.
UGM’s decision to solve the case in such a repulsive manner — and ending it with simply “peace” is very questionable to begin with. Moreover, the decision to give Agni a grade C is seen as UGM pressuring Agni to not speak up any louder — as if they’re sealing her mouth tight. This then gives out the nuance that such universities would threaten their students with low grades if they were to speak up about their sexual harassment incidents, which will surely degrade the universities’ reputation.
The Sparks
UGM’s effort to save its image had been ineffective at best or backfired at worst. It was exposed later that Agni’s case is the tip of the iceberg. Multiple reports have shown that Agni is not the only one facing troubles in seeking for justice. Read #NamaBaikKampus report from Vice to discover more stories.
Cases like this flashes our heads and reminds us that sexual assault in universities is yet to be taken seriously — but simply because of the fear that their reputation would degrade is very obscene. Sexual assault in universities and campus MUST be taken seriously. What the victims need is comfort, justice and security — and the word “peace”, just because these universities are trying to keep up their reputation, is just not enough.
