His press conference was held right after the victim, identified only as AN, also known by her pseudonym Agni, the perpetrator, identified only as HS, and Panut himself signed an agreement supposedly to resolve the case. 

Through the agreement, Agni and HS were obliged to undergo separate counseling with clinical psychologists, fully paid for by the university.

Panut added UGM would also pay for Agni’s tuition and living costs. He also made sure the School of Social and Political Sciences and the School of Engineering, respectively the faculties where Agni and HS studied, would help them graduate in May, the next graduation schedule.

The press conference was supposed to be a victory of sorts for Panut for having resolved the case after being the bane of UGM’s existence for months — but it is exactly where he got it wrong.

Many people took to social media to condemn UGM for siding with the abuser, calling the campus “Universitas Gapapa Merkosa” (university that accepts rape) and urged parents to protect their daughters by not sending them to UGM, which is among the nation’s top universities and the alma mater of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. 

The wave of support for Agni reflected part of the #MeToo movement, a global campaign against sexual harassment and assault, which went viral following the sexual abuse allegations against American film producer Harvey Weinstein in 2017.

Though protests and actions against rape and sexual harassment began in Indonesia long before the reports on Weinstein, marches in the world’s cities and #MeToo hashtags across cyberspace have helped encourage victims of sexual harassment in many nations to speak up, which was exactly what Agni did last year. On Nov. 5, UGM student magazine Balairung published her testimony, saying HS assaulted her during a community service assignment in a Maluku village on June 30, 2017.

The university’s lack of response prompted not only an online petition signed by hundreds of thousands of people calling the university to punish the alleged rapist, but also offline support, where hundreds of people, including UGM students and lecturers, rallied in a show of support for Agni, holding posters bearing messages like #kitaAgni (WeAreAgni), which fast became a trending topic on Twitter.

UGM should understand that people are not just outraged by the alleged sexual violation among its students; people are even more infuriated by the way the university handled the situation.

Perhaps no campus anywhere is entirely safe from sexual harassment. But headlines were also triggered by the university’s dismissive stance, as expressed by an UGM official who declined to be named, who told the Balairung that HS’ act was “like a cat given salted fish”.

Panut later apologized to the public for the slow handling of the alleged sexual assault, acknowledging the victim-blaming culture still shrouding UGM. 

Monday’s press conference is still far from “problem solved” for UGM. The images of Panut accompanied by his deputies and deans instead reflected men in power telling the public that they finally solved sexual harassment peacefully on their terms. 

Rifka Annisa, an NGO providing legal support for Agni, said Panut’s claim that the case was settled “peacefully” had undermined Agni’s fight for justice.

Paying the psychologists, her tuition and ensuring both students graduate in the next scheduled graduation ceremony only reflects the university’s intention to usher the problem out of the campus as soon as possible, showing a lack of real sympathy for the victim.

The #MeToo movement has changed how people talk about sexual violations, giving victims the stage to tell their side of the story, but UGM has not learned to do it.  

At the press conference was a telling statement by an UGM deputy rector, Paripurna, who said UGM had agreed not to disclose the result of the investigation by the ethics committee specially set up for the case, but that its recommendation had been of great help in reaching the settlement. “This is for the sake of AN’s and HS’s future,” he said.

What he meant was that the university was not willing to talk openly about what really happened and would not take any more action that might ruin HS’ future — showing how it did not even try to listen to what Agni wanted.

In her testimony published by Balairung, Agni stated she wanted HS expelled and had the lecturers involved in this matter take responsibility for their uncaring attitude, but apparently it was too much to ask for.

Agni’s lawyer Sukiratnasari said it was not easy for Agni to opt for an out of court settlement, but it had to be done considering her psychological condition and to minimize further risks of criminalization. This shows us what a victim must consider in deciding on a “peaceful” settlement. 

Balairung had revealed in great detail the incident of June 30, 2017, after which Agni reportedly experienced continued anxiety, unsurprisingly.

If UGM really wants to restore its reputation, Panut and the honorable deans and professors should learn to listen and show real sympathy for what the victim is saying. 

Their decision to do otherwise will make this case a forever-stained asterisk attached to UGM’s history. 

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