Leaked lewd chats expose problem of sexual violence in top Indonesian universities

JAKARTA – Recently leaked screenshots of a lewd group chat among law students at the University of Indonesia (UI) have brought renewed attention to the prevalence of sexual violence in Indonesian universities.

Information about the offending group chat first surfaced publicly on April 12, when a new X account called “sampahfhui” (trash from UI law school) posted several screenshots allegedly taken from the chat. The screenshots also circulated on messaging platforms such as WhatsApp and Line.

The post has since been shared more than 90,000 times.

The screenshots show obscene conversations about the physical attributes and anatomy of several female law students at UI, the country’s most prestigious university. In one exchange, the group members appear to joke about rape, saying that “silence means consent”.

The floodgates opened: Within days, more leaked screenshots involving students from other colleges engaging in crude banter made the rounds on social media.

Sexual violence has been a persistent problem on Indonesian campuses for decades. A landmark anti-sexual violence law enacted in 2022 allows for the prosecution of non-physical sexual harassment, which had previously not been considered a crime.

However, criminal charges for sexual harassment have been rare.

Ms Sondang Frishka Simanjuntak, a commissioner at the National Commission on Violence Against Women, said the root of the problem was a culture that still tolerates misogyny and violence against women.

“So even though there are new regulations, there is still a tendency to normalise sexual harassment. It’s not seen as something serious,” Ms Frishka told The Straits Times.

Following the circulation of the screenshots, UI’s law school held a townhall-style forum on the night of April 13, which lasted into the early hours of April 14.

Videos of the forum posted online by UI students show the 16 alleged members of the group chat being brought forward to apologise and facing a barrage of questions and recriminations.

A female lecturer who was present at the forum said she was surprised to find that her name was also mentioned in the group chat. The videos also show female students emotionally confronting the alleged perpetrators.

“You haven’t just hurt the victims. You have made everyone here feel unsafe on their own campus,” one student said.

“Are your apologies really genuine?” another student demanded. “If they are, why do they seem just like copy-pasted statements?”

At a press conference after that, Mr Timotius Rajagukguk, a lawyer representing some of the victims, said at least 27 women were sexually harassed in the group chat, including seven female lecturers.

“If we examine (the group chat) more carefully, there’s a possibility that the number (of victims) will increase,” he said.

He added that some of the victims had already known about the existence of the group chat since 2025, but had not come forward because they feared their complaints would not be taken seriously.

UI student union deputy chair Fathimah Azzahrah said at the same press conference that the student body was awaiting the university’s official response.

“It is ironic that a case of sexual violence as severe as this is normalised and perpetrated by those who should be most aware of the law,” she said, referring to the fact that the alleged perpetrators are law students.

“They shouldn’t violate the laws they themselves should be most aware of and have learnt about on campus.”

In a statement on April 15, UI spokesman Erwin Agustian Panigoro said the university was conducting a comprehensive investigation into the allegations.

“As part of its institutional commitment, UI continues to strengthen its sexual violence prevention and handling system through policy evaluation, capacity building of the Anti-Sexual Violence Task Force, and ongoing education for the academic community,” he said.

The victims are considering taking action, pending the university’s investigation.

Longstanding problem

The issue of sexual violence on campus gained some urgency in 2019, after a survey by the Ministry of Higher Education found that universities were the third most likely location for sexual violence, after the streets and public transportation.

In a 2020 survey by the Ministry of Education and Culture – then headed by Gojek co-founder Nadiem Makarim – 77 per cent of lecturers said sexual violence had occurred on their campus. Among them, 63 per cent had not reported the violence to university officials, citing fears of societal stigma.

The survey triggered the ministry to issue a 2021 regulation requiring all universities to form an anti-sexual violence task force. At the time, Mr Nadiem called the situation a “critical emergency”.

In 2024, the ministry issued another regulation that widened the scope of the 2021 ruling to all forms of violence, including bullying and online harassment.

After Mr Nadiem left the position in 2024, his successor, Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology Brian Yuliarto, launched a national campaign to prevent violence on campus, including sexual violence, as a follow-up to the 2024 regulation.

Yet, the UI group chat and other similar incidents that have come to light in its wake seem to indicate that the situation has yet to improve.

On April 14, videos started circulating showing a student group at Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) – another top state university – singing a lewd song that graphically describes a student having sexual intercourse with an attractive young widow named Erika.

The song, composed by the university’s Mining Students’ Union, dates back to the 1970s, but videos show ITB students singing it as recently as 2025. Many of the videos have since been deleted.

On April 15, chat messages allegedly written by students of IPB University, a state campus in Bogor, West Java, started spreading online. The messages show students referring to other students with slurs such as “slut” and “whore” and making multiple rape jokes.

Tougher measures

To stamp out sexual violence, Ms Frishka said universities must commit to strengthening their anti-sexual violence task force, saying that her commission had received several complaints from task force members who said they were not receiving enough support from university administrations.

“Sometimes, the perpetrators are top university officials, and they turn around and press charges against the victims,” she said.

In a statement on April 15, the commission called for the UI case to be “handled in full accordance with applicable law, not reduced to a mere ethical violation”.

Many cases of sexual violence on campus have often resulted in only administrative sanctions such as temporary suspensions, with university officials sometimes discouraging victims from pursuing criminal charges.

“The formal legal process needs to be opened as wide as possible for victims who choose the criminal justice route, without administrative obstacles and without pressure from the campus environment,” said Ms Frishka.

Beyond legal avenues, universities should also focus on preventative measures and build “a culture of equality”, said fellow commissioner Devi Rahayu.

“Only in this way can campuses truly become safe, equal learning spaces that are free from violence against women,” she added.