(INDONESIA)
Union of Catholic Asian News (UCA News) [Hong Kong]
May 18, 2026
By Ryan Dagur
The closure of an Islamic boarding school in Pati, Central Java, after its founder was accused of sexually abusing female students, should not be seen as an isolated scandal.
It is a warning sign of a deeper, systemic crisis across Indonesia’s education sector — in public schools, universities and faith-based boarding institutions — where sexual violence has become a recurring pattern rather than an exception.
In the Pati case, reports say the number of alleged victims ranges from 30 to 50 students, although the number of formal complainants remains smaller as authorities continue accepting reports.
Indonesia’s Ministry of Religious Affairs, through local religious authorities, has moved to close the boarding school, suspend new admissions, and relocate students so they can continue their studies elsewhere.
Police investigating the case said they had questioned 17 witnesses. Authorities also said the suspect admitted to some acts as investigators continue gathering evidence and determining whether more victims may come forward.
The government’s response is significant because it signals official recognition that violence in educational settings requires urgent intervention. But it also highlights an uncomfortable reality: decisive action often comes only after abuse becomes widespread — and public.
Several national indicators point to a broader pattern. A widely cited monitoring dataset compiled by the Indonesian Education Monitoring Network, known locally as JPPI, found that cases of violence in educational institutions rose sharply from 91 in 2020 to 641 in 2025.
According to the same dataset, sexual violence accounted for 57.65% of all reported violence in educational settings, surpassing bullying at 22.31% and physical violence at 18.89%.
Separately, a policy discussion published by Indonesia’s education standards body cited findings from the 2022 National Assessment estimating that 34.5% of students may be at risk of sexual violence in schools.
The figures do not necessarily capture every incident. Instead, they reinforce why sexual violence is often described as an “iceberg” problem: the cases that become visible may represent only a small portion of the abuse taking place.
The Pati case reflects a nationwide crisis and is not confined to a single religious tradition. Catholic institutions — including schools, dormitories, seminaries and universities — are not immune because the conditions that enable abuse are often structural: rigid hierarchies, cultures of obedience, closed residential environments and weak independent oversight.
Institutional responses can also become dominated by efforts to protect reputations, treating sexual violence as an “internal matter.” Such approaches can isolate survivors while shielding perpetrators from accountability.
Across both religious and secular institutions, the pattern is often similar: abuse flourishes where authority is concentrated and accountability is weak.
In the Pati case, reports indicate the alleged perpetrator used religious authority and doctrinal pressure to secure compliance and silence victims.
The case illustrates how moral and spiritual authority can intensify coercion, making victims feel that reporting abuse is an act of betrayal rather than a pursuit of justice.
Safeguarding, therefore, is not simply a matter of legal compliance. It is also a moral and pastoral responsibility. A system built on trust becomes dangerous when that trust is manipulated as a tool of control.
Indonesia’s National Commission on Violence Against Women has also warned about persistent sexual violence on university campuses.
The commission recorded 82 cases of sexual violence in higher education institutions between 2021 and 2024 that were reported directly to it. It also noted that campus sexual violence remains an “iceberg” phenomenon shaped by underreporting and institutional barriers.
The warning is relevant for Catholic educational institutions because the risks are similar: closed environments, unequal power relations and the temptation to manage allegations internally.
Indonesia has taken important legal steps, including the passage of the 2022 Sexual Violence Crime Law. The response in the Pati case also demonstrates a willingness by authorities to act. Yet much of the response remains reactive, addressing abuse only after cases escalate.
For religious institutions, including the Catholic Church, the issue remains especially sensitive. Reform is sometimes viewed as a threat to faith or tradition. Yet protecting children is not contrary to religious values — it is central to them.
The most important lesson from the Pati case is not only that perpetrators must be punished, but also that the system itself requires reform.
In practical terms, that means independently audited safeguarding protocols, mandatory cooperation with civil authorities, survivor-centered pastoral care, and a cultural shift in which questioning authority is viewed as protection rather than disobedience.
At its core, the focus must shift from protecting institutions to protecting people.
The painful reality is that many victims remain unheard. The Pati case surfaced only after survivors spoke out. That raises an urgent question: how many more cases remain hidden in schools, dormitories, and places of worship?
As long as Indonesia treats this crisis as a series of isolated incidents rather than a systemic failure, sexual violence is likely to persist in spaces meant to nurture and protect future generations.
Trust, once broken, is difficult to restore. Without trust, the moral, intellectual and spiritual foundations of education begin to erode.
The need for reform is no longer in question. The challenge now is whether institutions — religious and secular alike — are willing to act before the next crisis emerges.*The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official editorial position of UCA News.