Indonesia’s National Workshop on Violence Prevention and Management
Ensuring safe and inclusive learning environments for all children requires more than just policy, it needs coordinated action, shared understanding, and practical tools for implementation. As Indonesia works to address violence in schools through Ministerial Regulation 46/2023, the challenge of translating national policy into effective local practice has become increasingly apparent. Recognizing this gap, a four-day national workshop brought together government officials, educators, and child protection advocates to build the collaborative networks and capacities needed to make school safety a reality across the archipelago's diverse regions.
The national workshop on Ministerial Regulation 46/2023 on violence prevention and management in schools, also known as Prevention and Handling of Violence in the Environment of Education (PPKSP), was held in Jakarta in July. The event brought together 29 participants from different regions, Aceh, Banten, and Maluku, along with representatives from Center on Child Protection and Wellbeing (PUSKAPA) at Universitas Indonesia and the Centre of Character Strengthening under the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education Indonesia (PUSPEKA). With a particular emphasis on gender equality and peace education, the sessions focused on enhancing the capacity and collaboration of local authorities and educational institutions to implement PPKSP.
On the first day, three spokespersons from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Ministry of Women Empowerment and Child Protection, and Child Protection Commission, led the lively discussion. The key takeaway from the dialogue was the need for collaborative actions at both national and sub-national levels. Mrs. Rusprita, as the head of PUSPEKA, emphasised the importance of cooperation between national and local governments to create a safe school environment for all children. She also emphasised that effective collaboration would enable local governments to adapt the PPKSP policy to their specific local contexts, which vary across Indonesia. The other two spokespersons reiterated the necessity of effective collaboration and capacity building, particularly considering the limited to poor capacity of the PPKSP’s task force.
Building on this foundation of collaboration, 15 participants received an intensive session on gender equality and peace education on the second day, which is crucial to understanding that gender equality and non-violence approaches are important prior to implementing PPKSP, as cases of sexual and physical violence are quite rampant in schools. Participants from Aceh highlighted social norms that sometimes impede women’s participation in public life; for instance, the class president in schools is usually a boy. While achieving gender equality requires more coordinated efforts and commitment, the increased understanding of gender relations among the participants is a promising start.
To bridge theory to practice, the field visit to the schools in Jakarta was scheduled as the third agenda item. The participants also visited the Jakarta Education Office to gather information on the implementation of PPKSP. The representative of the Jakarta Education Office explained the mechanism of PPKSP in Jakarta, supported by the official memo from the D.K.I, the Jakarta Province Government and the Governor's Decree. The participants visited the elementary school (SDN) Kebon Jeruk 08, and the senior state vocational high school (SMKN) 01, to discuss the implementation of PPKSP at the school level. Questions about budget availability and practical examples of how schools handle violence cases, including the case-handling mechanism, were the most common queries from the participants. The field visit provided them with insights on how to implement PPKSP in their regions.
The participants developed their action plan on the final day. The insights and knowledge they gained over the past three days helped them create a practical and feasible plan. The action plans from Aceh, Banten, and Maluku demonstrate a shared commitment and effective collaboration among the relevant stakeholders in implementing the PPKSP at sub-national levels.
