Hanin Marwah, Jakarta – The National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) urges stringent action by the government related to the rape case involving a 31-year-old resident doctor at Padjajaran University, Priguna Anugerah Pratama. The commission condemns the case of sexual violence that occurred at Hasan Sadikin Hospital in Bandung.
Komnas Perempuan pushes the Ministry of Health to establish a zero-tolerance policy for violence, including sexual violence, in all health service facilities in Indonesia.
"This incident should spark a comprehensive evaluation of safe space pledges in hospitals and other health facilities as public spaces," said Komnas Perempuan Commissioner Dahlia Madanih in Jakarta on Saturday, April 12, 2025, as quoted from a written statement.
Dahlia asserts that hospitals must be free from violence, both for healthcare workers as well as patients and their relatives. They also ask Hasan Sadikin Hospital to take concrete steps in preventing and addressing sexual violence, in any form, to avoid a recurrence of such incidents.
Komnas Perempuan sees that this case cannot be considered solely as a pure criminal act unrelated to the perpetrator's profession and educational background. The commission believes there was an abuse of knowledge and power by the perpetrator as a doctor to commit sexual violence, rape in particular.
Dahlia cited Minister of Health Regulation No. 42 of 2018 concerning the Hospital Code of Ethics and Law and Indonesian Medical Council (KKI) Regulation No. 4 of 2011 on Professional Discipline of Doctors and Dentists, which states that doctors are a noble and honorable profession bound by strict oaths and ethical codes (KODEKI).
"Healthcare facilities are at the forefront of handling violence victims and should not be a place where violence occurs," she said.
Komnas Perempuan also recommends that organizations of professional doctors and healthcare workers develop mechanisms for the prevention and handling of sexual violence within their institutions, thereby allowing for a more comprehensive manner of addressing such cases.
Yuni Asriyanti, a commissioner of Komnas Perempuan, adds that protection mechanisms against harassment, violence, and sexual exploitation in health facilities and professional healthcare organizations must be developed to ensure health facilities are safe spaces for all. "These mechanisms also serve as the implementation of the oaths and ethical codes of doctors and other healthcare workers," she said.