Haula Noor and Windy Triana – As the Ministry of Religious Affairs promotes the concept of Pesantren Ramah Anak (Child-Friendly Islamic Boarding Schools), the controversy over a young preacher in rural East Java who was seen kissing and holding small girls during his onstage sermon casts a shadow over that initiative.
Mohammad Elham Yahya Luqman, widely known as 'Gus Elham', faced widespread public criticism for inappropriate conduct. He is a young preacher from Kediri, East Java, born into a pesantren family. The title 'Gus' attached to his name signifies that he is a descendant of a kiai, a designation commonly used within the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) community.
Following public outrage and condemnation from NU, the Indonesian Council of Ulama (MUI), and the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI), Gus Elham issued a short video on his official social media account, apologising and describing his actions as unintentional errors and a lapse in judgment.
However, the apology itself prompted further concerns. Instead of showing remorse, he characterised the issue as unfortunate mainly because the video spread so widely.
Gus Elham's case highlights the hidden problem of sexual abuse in traditional religious institutions, which is often viewed through a lens that aims to protect the reputation of institutions or the community, overshadowing the importance of child protection and welfare.
More initiatives, less commitment
The government has issued regulations to show its commitment to addressing sexual abuse in religious institutions. Still, its actions are insufficient to meet its stated goals, due to a lack of practical policy implications, inadequate funding, or inconsistent attitudes.
Since a sexual violence case in a pesantren in West Java drew national media attention in 2022, the Indonesian government, through the Ministry of Religious Affairs, issued Ministerial Regulation 73 of 2022 on the Prevention and Handling of Violence in Educational Institutions under the Ministry of Religious Affairs. This regulation was later followed by several additional decrees supporting the government's initiative on Child-Friendly Pesantren.
The first is Ministerial Decree 83 of 2023, which outlines guidelines for handling sexual violence in Educational Institutions under the Ministry of Religious Affairs. The second is the Director-General of Islamic Education Decree 1226 of 2024 on Technical Guidelines for Child-Friendly Care in Pesantren, as well as Decree of the Minister of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia 91 of 2025 on the Roadmap for the Development of the Child-Friendly Pesantren Program. In addition to several other commitments, the Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection collaborate with the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) to promote the importance of child protection in education.
These regulations may show a government commitment to improving pesantren education and safeguarding the welfare of children who study and live in pesantren. However, Minister of Religious Affairs Nasaruddin Umar's response to the issue does not reflect that sentiment. He stated that cases of sexual violence are only a few, and the media has exaggerated the problem, tarnishing the image of pesantren in the process. The way the press reports the issue, he argued, is therefore counterproductive for the development of pesantren.
The government has, in fact, designated 514 pesantren as pilot projects for the Child-Friendly Pesantren program. However, due to limited funding, the Ministry of Religious Affairs has so far only been able to create WhatsApp groups and facilitate activities through online meetings and training as the primary form of coordination and capacity-building.
Direct monitoring of these pesantren is conducted solely by local offices of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, which means that supervision heavily depends on the effectiveness and commitment of regional officials. This limited oversight highlights a significant gap between the government's ambitious regulatory framework and its actual implementation on the ground.
The tip of the iceberg
An extensive national study on santri (pesantren students) vulnerability and resilience toward sexual violence, conducted in 2023 by the Center of Study of Islam and Society (PPIM) UIN Jakarta, found that 1.06% of 1221 surveyed santri were vulnerable to sexual violence. Although this figure may seem small, it represents the tip of the iceberg that has long been denied and ignored by many, both inside and outside the pesantren community.
The Indonesian National Commission for Women recorded 17 cases (17.52%) between 2020 and 2024, with pesantren or Islamic-based education ranking second after universities. Multiple studies also support this finding by emphasising factors such as power inequality, cultural justification, authority abuse, and lack of knowledge among santri regarding sexual violence.
What has been most concerning is how parental attitudes often contribute to the persistence of these problems. In PPIM's 2024 interviews with 100 santri, many reported that parents are their first point of contact when they face difficulties. Unfortunately, parents often dismiss their children's concerns or even worsen the situation by saying that such experiences are 'part of the lessons of being a santri'.
Some cases resulted in santri becoming victims of violence in pesantren, whether inflicted by senior students or teachers, usually under the guise of disciplinary training or punishment.
Gus Elham's current case demonstrates a similar pattern in a more public context, supported by the children's parents attending the preacher's regular sermons. Some parents might see the act as a sign of affection, which they interpret with pride, or as a blessing, while many others believe that an ethical line was clearly crossed.
Is this merely a human mistake, or does it indicate a deeper ethical crisis within the preaching community, especially in rural areas?
Child protection is not a bedtime story
Child protection awareness in Indonesia might have begun to take shape, but there is still a huge gap between how the problem is regulated and the lived reality of children facing such risks of sexual abuse.
The current government's regulation on child protection focuses on correcting the institutional level rather than addressing the broader cultural, social, and power structures that enable harm, especially in environments where religious authority is deeply revered.
The next question raised is: does the presence of parents mean such actions cannot be criminalised? The Child Protection Law 35 of 2014 explicitly prohibits all forms of violence, exploitation, and indecent acts against children. In particular, article 77A of the law clearly states that 'Any person who intentionally places, allows, involves, or abandons a child in a situation that endangers their safety may be subject to criminal punishment'. This suggests that parental presence does not exempt the state from its obligation to protect children or hold perpetrators accountable.
At the same time, efforts to protect children cannot rely solely on legal instruments. What is urgently needed is a transformation in the mindset of those who hold religious authority. Many cases of misconduct persist because pesantren leaders, preachers, and community elders often act with impunity.
Educating religious figures and the community about appropriate conduct, power dynamics, and children's rights is therefore essential, not only to prevent abuse but also to ensure that the particular culture in preaching or education evolves in line with basic standards of safety and dignity.