In order to optimise district government strategy and policy for prevention and management of violence against women and children, education re. psycho-education on the roles of women organisations in prevention and management of violence against women and children proceeds at the Joint Secretariat Building Level 4, on Thursday (10/7).
There are 50 organisations, including community organisations and women organisations that are part of DP2P3AKB network, in the meeting. In her opening speech, the secretary of DP3AP2KB, Dyah Saraswati, S.STP, M.A.P suggests that the meeting aims to strengthen women organisations, where women are extraordinary and effective informants to provide information to families and Family Welfare groups (PKK). The expectation is that the iceberg phenomena – violence cases – can be addressed following this meeting.
DP2P3AKB on Commitment to Fulfil the Rights of Women and Children Victims of Violence
The head of Child Rights and Child Special Protection (PHA-PKA) DP3AP2KB Surakarta, Siti Dariyatini, S.Sos., M.M. says that there are already policies in Indonesia, one of which is Law No. 35 Year 2014 on Changes to Law No. 23 Year 2002 on Child Protection and Law No. 39 Year 1999 on Human Rights. This was a mandate from the previous president - Joko Widodo – to reduce violence cases against women and children. Siti points out that protecting women and children is a joint responsibility for government, community, family, and parents. Policies for the protection of women and children are in place in Surakarta – including City Regulation No. 2 Year 2022 on Gender Mainstreaming, Vity regulation No. 10 Year 2023 on Child protection, City Regulation No. 7 Year 2024 on Women Protection, and so on. Siti explains that DP3AP3AKB also initiates and strengthens the network for the prevention and management of violence against women and children through MoU between City Government of Surakarta and 28 organisations, including Yayasan YAPHI. Siti also explains about the City Unit for the Protection of Women and Children (UPTD PPA) established since 2017, where UPTD PPA is committed to providing services and accompaniment to women victims of violence who are in the network with service provider organisations. UPTD PPA also accepts reports from city residents or people who work in the city of Surakarta, and offers its services for free.
SPEKHAM on Prevention and Management of Victims of Violence
Fitri Haryani from SPEKHAM explains the definition of violence, types of violence, impacts of violence, and the Law on Sexual Violence to address increasing violence. There are very high number of sexual violence cases and many victims, particularly women, die as a result. The most common triggers for femicide, based on tempo data, are emotion, sexual violence, and economic reasons. Fitri also explains data on victims of sexual violence in Central Java Tengah per 2024 which is at 1,019 cases and SPEKHAM is dealing with such cases. The marriage exception number in Surakarta reaches 41 by mid- 2025. Fitri indicates that the general characteristics of violence is that perpetrators have the intention to harm victims, that there is power imbalance, that there is a promose to offer compensation to victims, that the violence is systematic/recurrent, and that the acts are done both openly and in secrecy. From experience in dealing with violence cases, SPEKHAM knows that victims experience not only one but different types of violence, hence the need for an accompaniment or victims – legal aid and psychological accompaniment to protect victims. SPEKHAM does not only accompany victims, but is also active in prevention by providing services, education, and training paralegals. “Managing and preventing violence are not about being superhero, it is not a job to be done alone but requires collaboration in order to achieve justice,” says Fitri.
Role(s) of UPTD PPA in Protecting Victims of Violence
A psychological counselor at UPTD PPA, Tika urges others to see how cases handled by UPT TPAS since 2017, where UPT TPAS already dealt with 33 cases of violence against women and 54 cases of violence against children in the year 2017 alone. UPTD PPA has dealt with 65 cases (25 cases of violence against children and 40 cases of violence against women) by June 2025. UPTD receives reports from victims, community members, and health care personnel, and submit the reports to the network and to the Police so that they can meet the rights of victims. Tika not only talks about data and how UPTD PPA works, but also explains the rights of victims – including rights to protection, health care, secrecy of identity, rights to obtain accompaniment, rights to safe housing facility (with a limit of 14 days), and right to legal aid.
A representative of the PPK UNS Taskforce, Sakroni says that PPKS UNS Taskforce changes into PPK because the taskforce is not only dealing with sexual violence but also with other types of violence. The types of education that we are talking about is critical, not just for universities but also for junior and senior high schools, where young people may commit violence. There is a need for collaboration for prevention and management of violence.
From Yayasan YAPHI, Adi also offers his response during the question and answer session, that he has high appreciation for UPTD PPA, and that UPTD PPA did not start its work in 2017, as the embryo was already there in 2002 in the form of PTPAS and Solo is the first city to have such an organisation. There is a good story coming from Tipes Village work with Yayasan YAPHI, where they set up a mechanism to prevent and to address violence against women and children, with the expectation that the education and the mechanism for preventing violence against women and children can be done at community level. “There is a need for collaboration and joint coordination amongst 28 organisations signing the MoU and in the network, with the expectation that Solo becomes a more comfortable and safe city without violence,” says Adi. (Renny Talitha Chandra)
