The Religious Affairs Ministry has completed the compilation of a guidebook for child-friendly boarding schools (pesantren) in collaboration with the Commission for the Protection of Women and Children (KPPA).
Information on the guidebook is currently being disseminated as a precautionary measure to prevent violence in religious education institutions.
“Along with the KPPA, we have compiled a guidebook for child-friendly boarding schools. Right now, we are disseminating information on the guidebook,” the ministry’s Director of the Religious Education and Pesantren Department, Waryono Abdul Ghofur, stated in the ministry’s podcast followed here, Monday.
Ghofur later noted that the ministry had made various efforts as part of the preventive measures and efforts in religious education institutions.
The ministry continues to establish communication with Islamic boarding schools to serve as a reminder that students are entrusted by parents to teachers and Muslim preachers (kyai). Hence, students must be handled akin to their own children, Ghofur emphasized.
“Students must receive protection and learning. If they are sick, they will be treated. They cannot be subjected to violence. We continue to communicate and raise awareness on this,” he stressed.
According to Ghofur, the process of disseminating information continues in stages, especially since there are over 37 thousand registered with the ministry. The information will be delivered to each region’s officials in the Religious Affairs Service that are in charge of Islamic boarding schools, Ghofur stated.
Webinars or physical seminars are conducted to inform representatives of Islamic boarding schools.
“We remind the management of Islamic boarding schools to read the regulations related to the protection of children and women. In fact, I call this regulation a new yellow book. The law on the protection of children and women must become a guide for pesantren and all Indonesian people,” Ghofur emphasized.
In addition, the Ministry of Religious Affairs is preparing a Draft Regulation on the Prevention and Handling of Sexual and Child Violence in Islamic Boarding Schools. The drafting process has entered the stage of harmonization at the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, he noted.
The draft regulation contains eight chapters with around 50 articles. In the handling chapter, this regulation will regulate the reporting flow for victims of sexual violence. The ministry will work closely with the Social Service and non-governmental organizations to assist victims to deal with the psychological aspect.
The chapter also regulates the outlook of educational institutions towards perpetrators and victims. Ghofur emphasized that victims should have the opportunity to continue their education.
“This regulation will also encourage religious education institutions to create a sexual violence prevention and handling task force (PPKS Task Force),” he added.
Source: Antara News