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ocial media has been flooded with commentary and opinions on the case of Agni, a pseudonym given to a Gajah Mada University (UGM) student whose story went viral after Balairung, the university’s student magazine, published an investigative report on sexual assault allegedly committed by someone identified only as HS, her fellow community service program (KKN) student, against her last year.

The university officials reportedly cut short HS’ program and sent him back to Yogyakarta, but Agni said they also blamed her for the incident, with one official asking her to “repent”. Amid the trauma and suicidal thoughts she suffered after the incident, Agni received a “C”, which is below the minimum passing grade of “B”, for her KKN assignment because of the case that “embarrassed” the UGM.

As a result of her commendable journey for justice, Agni’s KKN grade has been recommended to be revised to A or B. But so far, it seems like there will be no further recourse; an interdepartmental investigation team formed by the UGM only recommended that the alleged perpetrator write an apology and attend a mandatory counseling session for sexual abusers.

The dean of the School of Engineering at the UGM even stressed that this case should have been resolved in a familial manner. The UGM seems to want to let the incident slide for the sake of its reputation, but Indonesians refuse to let this case disappear into thin air. A petition for a thorough investigation into Agni’s case was launched on Nov. 6 and, in barely two days, it had been signed by over 146,000 people.

The UGM’s behavior in handling this case is not uncommon. On college campuses in the United States, campuses’ refusal to act on sexual harassment cases is a well-known phenomenon. The tendency to dismiss and undermine a victim’s report, the culture of victim-blaming and even victim-punishing, complicated and unclear bureaucratic processes and the stance on putting the reputation of the campus over victims’ dignity and right for justice are unfortunately inherent in the system. Overwhelmed and unsure, victims tend to delay seeking help or even become reluctant to report at all.

A famous case that also went viral was the case of Brock Turner, a student at Stanford University who assaulted an unconscious woman behind a dumpster. During the legal process of the case, the media often focused on his achievements rather than the egregious details of his crime, describing him as a “Stanford swimmer” or a man with a clear criminal history. Initially, the court sentenced him to a mere six months, yet again proving that sexual assault victims don’t matter and that strong protection for sexual offenders is deeply embedded in the system.

Another case that attracted a major outcry globally was the case of Brett Kavanaugh, the newly elected US Supreme Court justice. Following the allegation of sexual assault reported by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and a long process of testifying behind the Senate, the US government called for a limited FBI investigation that was questionable considering the length of time given and the limited access to the results of the investigation.

Kavanaugh, who was elected and sworn in as a US Supreme Court justice on Oct. 7, was ironically given the power to become one of the very few people in the US that gets to determine the fate of major legal cases in the US — he himself was immune from the legal process.

One after the other, institutions of various backgrounds and origins have repeatedly failed the victims of sexual assault. From college campuses to one of the world’s most powerful nations, none of those in power seem to want to fight for justice for victims and for everyone else that might be affected. This heartbreaking fact must not be faced with hopelessness; if anything, this motivates us all to break the system and to create the change we want to see.

Looking at how Indonesian netizens reacted to the case of Agni, it seems like we do have hope. More people are becoming aware of the detrimental effect of sexual assault, and victim-blaming attitudes seem to be less pervasive. What we can do next is to spread more awareness and to push for change wherever we are; our university, our workplace, our government.

When institutions fail us, let’s not forget that the greatest changes in the world have happened through the power of the people.
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