Recently, cases of violence in educational units have been in the spotlight regarding education in Indonesia. Many cases of bullying, acts of physical violence between students, or sexual abuses towards students have emerged. Based on the results of the 2021 and 2022 National Assessments (AN) or 2022 and 2023 Education Report Cards, as many as 24.4 percent of students experienced various types of bullying.

Deputy for Coordination of Education Quality Improvement and Religious Moderation at the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture, Warsito, said that preventing cases of violence in educational units must be done from the upstream. He said that preventive efforts so that violent behavior does not occur must be carried out from an early age in the family environment and from the side of educational staff. 

"From the family side, there needs to be socialization and premarital education on how to handle children, to form a good child's psychology. Then from the perspective of educators they must be able to understand the psychology of students and instill good values ​​in school," said Warsito at the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture, Jakarta, Tuesday (24/10/2023). 

Warsito explained that the influence of gadgets and social media also determines the formation of children's character and can turn children into perpetrators of violence. He explained, if children are exposed to a lot of negative content on social media, it can shape the child's character into a bad one. 

"Therefore, it needs to be handled massively, parents must be able to supervise and accompany their children in using gadgets and social media. "Then schools must also have regulations on the use of smart devices," he said. 

He also said that violence in educational units is a complex problem and requires comprehensive efforts to prevent it. Where, the government, schools and society need to work together to create a safe and comfortable educational environment for all children. 

Furthermore, Warsito said, there are a number of factors that underlie violence committed by children in educational units. First, in terms of the child's own character, who has an aggressive character. Second, family and parent parenting patterns. Third, the environment where the child lives. Fourth, the influence of social media. 

Violence in educational units can have a negative impact on children, both physically, psychologically and socially. Physically, violence can cause children to suffer injuries, even death. Psychologically, violence can cause children to experience trauma, anxiety and depression. Socially, violence can cause children to have difficulty socializing and have low self-confidence.

With this background, the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture held a National Seminar on Preventing and Handling Violence in Education Units, with the theme 'Mutual Cooperation to Create Conducive and Non-Violence Education Units'.

The seminar discussed several efforts that could be taken to prevent violence in educational units. Among them, the creation of a safe and comfortable educational environment. Schools must create a conducive environment for all students, regardless of social, economic and cultural background.

Then, empower students, educators and education staff. Students, educators and education personnel must have a good understanding of violence and ways to prevent it. Schools need to provide training and education about violence to all stakeholders.

Then, providing child protection services. Schools need to provide child protection services to handle cases of violence that occur. These services can take the form of counseling, mentoring and advocacy.

From the seminar several agreed policy recommendations were produced. The recommendation points are increasing socialization and understanding of Permendikbudristek Number 46 of 2023 to all stakeholders and increasing socialization and understanding of this regulation.

The next recommendation is to implement strict sanctions against perpetrators of violence in educational units. Strict sanctions against perpetrators of violence are one way to prevent violence from recurring. The sanctions given must be appropriate to the severity of the violence committed.

Furthermore, increasing the role of local governments and communities in preventing and handling violence in educational units. Local governments and communities also have an important role in preventing and dealing with violence in educational units. Local governments can provide budget and policy support for violence prevention. The community can act as a supervisor and provider of information about cases of violence.

Proper communication

Deputy Dean III of the Faculty of Teaching and Educational Sciences (FKIP) of the University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM), Bayu Hendro Wicaksono said, if the violence continues, there will be a threat of deterioration in education. “The case directly affirms that today there are still groups that lack understanding of proper cultural communication,” Bayu said, not long ago.

According to Bayu, bullying often just looks like a daily joke uttered to peers. But such simple actions can have serious repercussions. Victims of bullying can experience painful psychic or emotional injuries. This impact can last a long time as it affects their long-term memory.

Efforts to prevent bullying can start with improving the school climate and involving teachers as an example of positive communication. In addition, the enforcement of the rules must also be firm without adding pressure to students.

Then there are also some aspects that should be the main focus of schools in reducing cases of bullying. First, it is communicative and collaborative education that can be integrated into the curriculum. This is done to introduce a deeper understanding of how to communicate effectively.

The second aspect, that is, critical thinking is also the main foundation in forming a healthy mindset. That means students are taught not to take information for granted. They also need to be able to analyze information and understand different perspectives before making decisions.

The lecturer of UMM English Studies Program also highlighted the importance of implementing the concept of child-friendly schools in accordance with government policy. Unfortunately, many schools have not implemented it massively.

According to him, the educational curriculum is now becoming more detailed, the number of subjects is increasing, and the pressure of learning values is increasing. “As a result, the burden of students is getting bigger,” he said in an official statement received by Republika.

The sure thing, Bayu said, is key to creating a supportive educational environment, not only academically, but also in terms of the physical and mental well-being of its students. Through this, schools can be a safe and productive place. Then it is able to lead to a healthy development for each student.

Police action

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Police Headquater (Mabes Polri) prepared integrated prevention and treatment measures to realize an educational unit free from physical, psychological, and sexual violence against children and synergy to support the implementation of the current regulation, Permendikbud No.46 in 2023.

“Although this Permendikbud does not mention the role of the Police, we also work synergistically for the prevention and handling of violence in the educational environment, including intolerance because it all falls within the sphere of law enforcement,” said Kasubbag Sumda Sespusinafis Bareskrim Police Rita Wulandari Wibowo at the National Seminar on Prevention and Handling of Violence at the Education Unit in Jakarta on Tuesday (25/10/2023).

The synergy of the Police, Rita continued, was seen with the establishment of a special unit for women and children's services whose task was to provide law enforcement protection, both to victims and perpetrators since 2007. This is because women and children belong to vulnerable groups other than those with disabilities that require a special preventive and law enforcement approach.

As a measure to prevent violence in the educational environment, Rita mentioned several activities carried out by her side, including coordinating and cooperating with the Integrated Service Center (PPT), the Correctional Hall, the Center for Integrated Services for the Empowerment of Women and Children, the Child Social Protection House and several other parties.

“We have Bhabinkamtibmas (local unofficial police officer) which now number 39,400 personnel and can be empowered to carry out preventive activities because one person can provide education to at least two villages,” Rita said.

Preventive activities involving the Bhabinkamtibmas, Rita said, one of them is the Door to Door System (DDS) program, which is also part of the Security Maintenance Agency (Baharkam) program of the Police.

Through the DDS program, Bhabinkamtibmas personnel visit the village and stay with the local community for a full day to be able to detect the violence that is taking place and is not limited to educational units.

In addition, he mentioned that there are other programs carried out by Bhabinkamtibmas related to the prevention of violence, namely information reports (LI) that can be accompanied or acted upon directly by Bhabinkamtibmas personnel.

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