Starting Point
Satgas PPKS Unpatti is mandated to prevent and handle sexual violence cases where students, lecturers, and staff of Unpatti are involved. The task force was established in November 2021 as part of the nationwide initiative regulated in Permendikbudristek No 30 Year 2021. The establishment was met with strong enthusiasm among the civitas, especially those who long for a campus free of sexual violence.
There are a total of 10 members of Satgas PPKS Unpatti, 4 of them are students, while 3 of them are lecturers from the Psychological Counseling Department. Sintya Latumahina is a Faculty of Forestry lecturer, who doubles as the Head of the Education Division of Satgas PPKS Unpatti. All of the 10 members of the task force work under the jurisdiction of Vice Rector III, which provides them with great authority in sanctioning sexual violence cases on campus.
Peace Journey
Satgas PPKS Unpatti is licensed to address sexual violence cases not limited to those that happened on campus, but also anywhere else as long as their civitas were involved as the victim or perpetrator. That includes the community where students and lecturers perform community services, the offices where students intern, and the informal hours of external extracurricular activities in which students may partake. The task force’s authority also goes beyond the silo of faculties, as it is allowed to maneuver at the university level. Once a faculty receives a report of sexual violence, the report is referred to Satgas PPKS Unpatti. The referral system is repeatedly echoed in the task force’s intracampus socialization programs.
We can see why the members of Satgas PPKS Unpatti are eager to socialize their services. The students, who make up a good percentage of the victims, are afraid of reporting their cases to Satgas for fear of intimidation from the perpetrators. It’s also embedded in the Ambonese culture to perceive sexual violence as a disgrace, keep it obscure, and solve the case in a familial manner. Satgas PPKS Unpatti aims to deconstruct such conviction. The perpetrators must be sanctioned, to do so, the task force needs cooperation from the victims. This is where the prevention and handling of sexual violence cases work simultaneously. For victims to feel safe in reporting their cases and testifying against their perpetrators, the civitas of Unpatti ought to create a safe environment where victims are protected and no sexual violence goes unpunished.
Success Stories
Sintya Latumahina doesn’t have prior experience or formal education in handling sexual violence cases. However, she admitted that her tenure in Satgas has taught her priceless lessons and takeaways related to sexual violence activism. She has collaborated with many, Yayasan Rumah Generasi is among them, and she believes that these alliances would be beneficial. Even if her workload in Satgas increases later, she wouldn’t mind for it’d mean the victims are becoming more courageous in reporting their cases in the future.
We’d also like to comment on the determination of Satgas PPKS Unpatti in advocating for sexual violence despite various limitations. They still persevere in socializing sexual violence mitigation in spite of inadequate funding. Undeterred by perturbing public attention, the task force worked behind the scenes to solve an already viral sexual violence case. Although Satgas PPKS Unpatti is obliged to keep the case confidential, the public demanded full disclosure, unaware of the ramifications that’d entail.