Having been successful in Yogyakarta, Training of Facilitator on Gender Equality Education in the Family is now held in Abepura, Jayapura, Papua province, by the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection, September 28 to October 4, 2016 with a team of facilitators from Rifka Annisa. Also attended by the Minister of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection, Yohana Yembise, during the opening ceremony of the training.

50 participants attended the training, from church activists, pastors, church administrators, to students. Participants were divided into three groups: fathers, mothers and teenagers. Participants of this training undertook a series of discussions using a community facilitator approach that targets families of married parents and children whom are teenagers.

The team of facilitators from Rifka Annisa invited participants to provide feedback and discuss relationships and gender roles that are evident in their culture. Relationships and gender roles that are fair and equitable in the family will have an impact on the strengthening of healthy, positive, and violence free family values.

Manager of the Research and Training Center Divison at Rifka Annisa, Muhammad Saeroni, explained that the strengthening of the family would greatly benefit the family. Referring to the ecological framework of Rifka Annisa, family resilience is proportional to community resilience and the resilience of a country. "Strengthening families is certainly very necessary to increase their resilience that is expected to have a positive impact on the resilience of its people," said Roni, the nickname of Muhammad Saeroni.

Educations and awareness is one method used to strengthen the family and achieve gender equality. Strengthening families through gender equality in the family education must be relevant to all women, men, and teenagers in the family. The main focus of such education is to increase the knowledge, understanding, and create perspective and behavioural changes related to gender norms and values.

Roni added that gender equality through education in the family, is expected to be ignite healthy communication patterns, healthy parenting, healthy relationships among family members all of which would significantly increase a family’s ability to prevent negative behaviour and decrease the likelihood of violence. When gender equality is already evident within a family, the aim is to change the perceptions of male family members who identify with dominance, strength, and superiority, and in comparison to change the perceptions of women who identify with weakness, inferiority, dependence and so on, so that they, the women, are not at risk of violent conditions.

"This family approach is critical to implement because often gender-based violence is correlated with problems in the family," said Fitri Indra Harjanti, as one of the facilitators of Rifka Annisa. A woman whom is familiar with Fitri also added that through education on gender equality in the family, it is expected to change patterns of healthy communication, healthy parenting, healthy relationships among family members which would all significantly prevent the likelihood of violent incidences in the family.

During the training, in addition to the seminars and discussion and performing simulations in the classroom, the candidates are also encouraged by the facilitators to practice what they have learnt in their own communities and to run similar sessions with members of their local communities. 

Translated by: Emma Hardy

Responding to the many questions presented to Rifka Annisa about cases of sexual assault on campus such as the case of sexual harassment occurring in the crowds of UGM as recently reported, Rifka Annisa expressed this statement:

1. That in all cases of violence against women Rifka Annisa always put forward the interests of the victim and the victim's perspective.
2. When Rifka Annisa is handling sexual assault cases, they always seek the solution through the legal process.
3. The case of EH is not the first and the only one involving the teaching profession or staff in educational environments. At least Rifka Annisa never accompanies that from 2000 to 2015, there were 214 cases of violence against women committed by unscrupulous professional lecturers, teachers, and academic staff. This type of case includes 146 cases of violence against his wife, 22 cases of violence in dating, 6 cases of family violence, as well as 32 cases including the cases of sexual harassment and 8 cases of rape.
4. Based on the experience of Rifka Annisa, cases that occur in the educational environment is often a case of sexual assault and involved more than one victim. However, few would dare to report because the position does not draw power relations between victims and perpetrators, criminal proceedings were long and heavy for the victim and family, social pressures in the name of keeping the good name of the institution, the community's negative stigma for victims of sexual violence. In addition, there is no mechanism for preventing and handling cases of violence against women in the educational environment that ensures security and confidentiality for victims.
5. At least the sexual violence continue to be caused by weak legal process and law enforcement systems were related to evidence. In cases of sexual assault evidentiary element is sometimes difficult to fulfill because of the violent events often occur in the private sphere, there is no lack of witnesses and other evidence. Therefore Rifka Annisa encouraging system changes to laws relating to sexual violence and push for a law that ELIMINATION OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE is legalized.
6. Rifka Annisa’s position in providing counselling services for men in the context of prevention and response to violence against women has started since 2007 in the context of intimate partner violence and aims to help men stop their violent behaviours and attitudes to one in which they are respectful of their partners. Men who join the counselling are expected to take responsibility for violent behaviour accomplishments and control of violent behaviour.
7. Starting in 2013 Rifka Annisa offer counseling services for perpetrators of sexual violence in cooperation with the Police of Gunung Kidul, in addition to counselling for perpetrators of intimate partner violence. Counselling behaviour changes made to sexual assault cases always puts the process of truth and punishment for perpetrators as well in order to prevent a recurrence of violence.
8. Counselling for men in order to influence, prevent or relieve the perpetrator of the legal process that is being undertaken.
9. During the legal process, counselling for offenders aimed at encouraging the perpetrators responsible for the act of doing.
10. Rifka Annisa push strategies for handling cases of violence against women on campus include a complaints mechanism, the handling of cases including legal assistance and psychological counselling for victims of violence.
11. Rifka Annisa encourages victims of sexual violence in the educational environment for the courage to speak out and reveal the truth on the case of mistreatment. Complaints against the violence prevailing in the campus or other educational environments can be delivered via email and hotline Rifka This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ANNISA in 085100431298 and 085799057765
12. Rifka Annisa encourage campuses in Yogyakarta in particular to join the movement #SpeakNow #AkhiriKekerasanSeksualDiKampus

Yogyakarta, June 7, 2016

Suharti