Despite progressive legislation and initiatives, including the National Action Plan for the Prevention and Addressing of Violence against Women and Children (RAN P3AKS), recent high-profile evidence points to structural and psychological gaps in the safety and protection of Indonesian women.

Ironically, the most secure spaces, such as universities, schools, places of worship, police offices and hospitals, have become “perfect places” for sexual violence.

In one of Indonesia's leading universities, a professor, Edy Meiyanto, was found guilty of sexually harassing his female student. In Jombang, East Java, a pesantren (Islamic boarding school), which is supposed to be a place for young Muslims to look for a moral compass, a kyai (pesantren head) was convicted of sexually abusing his students.

More recently, a regional police chief was arrested for sexual exploitation of children. Even the medical field has not been spared, as evident in the case of a physician who is facing justice for alleged sexual assault of his patients under the guise of treatment.

These are not isolated stories. They are indicative of a larger crisis. They refer to the limits of policy without cultural transformation, warning us that legal frameworks cannot function in a vacuum lacking accountability, awareness and synchronized enforcement.

The RAN P3AKS, with its rightful emphasis on prevention, response, empowerment and participation, is a step in the right direction. But the follow-through has been patchy.