UPN Veteran Yogyakarta Tightens Oversight After Sexual Harassment Cases

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The University of National Development Veterans in Yogyakarta (UPN Veteran Yogyakarta), Indonesia, promises to tighten its supervision system following the revelation of violence and alleged sexual harassment involving seven lecturers. The university's rectorate has imposed administrative sanctions, ranging from moderate to severe punishment, on the perpetrators who have been proven to commit sexual harassment.

Lecturers, students, and academic community members from various faculties have staged simultaneous declaration actions to oppose various forms of sexual harassment and sexual violence which have recurred since Monday until Tuesday.

"This action is a collective agreement to oversee, tighten supervision, and oppose all forms of violence, from bullying to sexual, whether verbal or physical, in the campus environment," said Panji Dwi Ashrianto, the Coordinator of Cooperation and Public Relations at UPN Veteran Yogyakarta on Monday, May 25, 2026.

This declaration was directly signed by representatives of lecturers, educators, as well as students, accompanied by alumni.

The Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business at UPN Veteran Yogyakarta, Januar Eko Prasetio, stated that this tight supervision is in line with the ruthless principle for those who commit moral crimes within the university area. "From this incident, we will ensure to not provide any opportunity for actions that undermine the integrity of the educational institution," he said.

He mentioned that efforts to tighten supervision will be accompanied by improvements in the bureaucratic and operational systems at the faculty level.

The campus management will expand accessible complaint services and intensive psychological assistance by optimizing the performance of the Task Force for Prevention and Handling of Violence in Higher Education Institutions (Satgas PPKPT).

He stated that all forms of violence, harassment, or sexual crimes on campus, whether physical, non-physical, or through digital media, will not be tolerated (zero tolerance). "Apart from restricting the movements of the perpetrators through law enforcement and strict sanctions, we will also focus on protection and recovery systems for the victims," he said.

The Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture at UPN Veteran Yogyakarta, Budi Widayanto, stated that the tightening of supervision must begin with structural management reform to detect and prevent the potential for violence from an early stage. "We will evaluate the institutional governance to prevent the recurrence of such incidents," said Budi.

He urged all members of the academic community to not be apathetic towards violence issues around them. "The campus must be a completely safe, inclusive, dignified, and protective place so that every individual within it can grow and develop freely from all forms of threats of violence," he said.

The Head of the Satgas PPKPT at UPN Veteran Yogyakarta, Iva Rachmawati, presented that based on the Examination Minutes document, the Satgas PPKPT has examined 5 suspects, 10 victims, and presented 13 witnesses to thoroughly investigate the case.

"The examination results show that five accused lecturers have been proven to have verbally harassed as stipulated in Minister of Education and Culture Regulation Number 55 of 2024 concerning Prevention and Handling of Violence in Higher Education Institutions," said Iva.

From the series of investigations, the five suspects were found to have committed verbal harassment in the form of sexually suggestive remarks as referred to in Article 12 paragraph (2) letter c of Minister of Education and Culture Regulation Number 55 of 2024.

As a result, the five lecturers were given moderate sanctions with various forms of punishment based on the severity of their actions.

Four suspects were given strict sanctions in the form of total suspension from the obligations of Tridharma Perguruan Tinggi (the three main services of tertiary education) for two years from the official rector's decision. In addition to the suspension, they are also required to undergo psychological counseling with a psychologist appointed directly by the university, where all costs are fully borne by the perpetrators.

Meanwhile, another accused lecturer was given a heavy penalty in the form of suspension from all Tridharma activities for a period of one year from the official decision.

Another lecturer is recommended to receive a heavy administrative sanction. The authority to impose the punishment is at the ministry level with legal reference to Minister of Education and Culture Regulation Number 55 of 2024 and Government Regulation Number 94 of 2021 concerning Civil Servant Discipline.

Read: Study: One in Three Media Workers Faces Sexual Harassment

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