Indonesian Middle Schoolers Walk Out to Protest a Teacher Accused of Sexual Harassment

As adults, we often underestimate younger people. But what the students at a middle school in Central Java did this week proves that young people can be pretty darn awesome.

On Monday, students at SMP Negeri 1 Slogohimo in Wonogiri walked out of class for the second time in solidarity of a female student who was allegedly sexually harassed by a male English Language teacher.

According to local media, the teacher laid his hands on the female students' chest in front of other students after she failed to complete an assignment in class last Saturday (it's common for Indonesian public schools to hold Saturday classes). That day, hundreds of students immediately held a rally demanding the school to fire the teacher. When they returned on Monday to see the teacher were still standing among the school staff at the weekly flag raising ceremony, hundreds of them continued to protest. The rally this time was big enough that the local police came to de-escalate the situation. The case has since become a national focus.

Such a reaction from students is quite rare in a country where institutions are notorious for choosing to protect their reputation instead of victims of sexual harassment. After the protests gained national attention, the head of Wonogiri's Education and Cultural Agency, Siswanto, finally released a statement saying that the teacher will be fired, only if his sexual assault "can be proven."

“We’ve formed a team and sent them into the field," he told local media. "They’re looking for facts and clarifying them with the teacher in question, students, and other teachers. If what the female student claims turns out to be true, we’ll suspend him from teaching."

The teacher is now in police custody.

Handling sexual assault cases in favor of the victim is still not customary in Indonesia’s education system. From primary schools to universities, there is yet a comprehensive system that protects victims of sexual harassment. More often than not, victims are silenced to protect the reputation of the school.

For example, last November, student journalists at the prestigious University of Gadjah Mada published an exposé of a sexual assault case that involved two students, and the ways in which the university failed to take the victim's story seriously. It wasn't until the story blew up nationwide that university announced it was preventing the rapist from graduating.

Now, the middle school students' protests are reminiscent of the 2008 incident, where students in a public high school in Solo, Central Java, held rallies to expose the school's principal and his deputy for using student funds for personal use.

At the time of writing, the local police and the Education Agency in Wonogiri are still investigating the situation at SMP Negeri 1 Slogohimo, but the rest of us can learn a lot from those students' bravery. If fighting against injustices is what kids do these days, then I think we'll be alright.