TEMPO.CO, Yogyakarta - Dozens of alleged victims of sexual harassment by a professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy, Gadjah Mada University (UGM) in Yogyakarta, Edy Meiyanto, have urged the Ministry of Higher Education, Research, and Technology to take firm action by revoking the perpetrator's status as a civil servant.
Prior to this, UGM's Rectorate had dismissed the perpetrator for being proven guilty. The perpetrator was found to have violated the ethical code for lecturers and Article 3 of the UGM Regulation No. 1 of 2023 concerning the Prevention and Handling of Sexual Violence at UGM. The university has also reported Edy to the ministry for disciplinary violations as a public servant. The Ministry has assigned UGM to form an investigative team through a letter dated March 13, 2025.
In the process of revoking the civil servant (ASN) status, the ministry refers to the State Civil Apparatus Regulation No. 6 of 2022, which is the implementing regulation of Government Regulation No. 94 of 2021 concerning the Discipline of Civil Servants.
A student who was a victim stated that the mass media coverage helped them to ascertain the punishment imposed by the UGM Rectorate on the perpetrator. On Sunday, April 6, 2025, UGM's Rectorate released a press statement explaining Edy's dismissal as a lecturer.
Tempo Magazine's edition from March 31 to April 6, 2025, published an article titled 'The Lewd Behavior of the Supervising Professor,' which describes the case of violence by Edy Meiyanto. Edy was accused of harassing undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students during their thesis and dissertation supervision. The incidents took place on campus, at Edy's home in the Minomartani area, Sleman, and at several research sites.
The number of victims who reported to the Task Force for the Prevention and Handling of Sexual Violence is 15 students. The total number of reported incidents by the victims in the working paper is 33. Several victims even experienced violence more than once. "The campus no longer needs to cover this up. Everyone already knows," said a female victim to Tempo on Monday, April 7, 2025.
The perpetrator, who is also a lecturer, allegedly committed harassment by massaging hands, touching the hair of female students from behind their veils, touching their cheeks and faces, and kissing their cheeks at his home. As for the incidents on campus, Edy's modus operandi was to ask students to check their blood pressure so that he could hold the victim's hand. The perpetrator also asked the victims to send photos and forced the students to contact him outside of teaching hours, even at night.
The victims expressed their relief at the lecturer's dismissal as they do not want the number of victims to increase at the Faculty of Pharmacy. Meanwhile, the alumni of the Faculty of Pharmacy who were victims welcomed the dismissal. Some of them expressed this by posting mass media coverage on their social media accounts. "We feel strong because of the support from outside UGM and the public," she said.
According to her, some of the victims are now waiting for the certainty of the revocation of the perpetrator's civil servant status. They heard that the perpetrator is in the process of registering to teach at another campus. Through the revocation of the civil servant status, the victims hope to deter the perpetrator and limit his opportunities to target other victims.
According to her, the victims do not want to pursue criminal charges as they consider the police investigation process to be complicated, cumbersome, and time-consuming. However, some of the victims want to focus on continuing their studies at the Faculty of Pharmacy until they graduate. "We do not want the police to handle this. The criminal process drains energy and time," she said.
Previously, the Secretary of the Inspectorate General of the Ministry of Higher Education, Research, and Technology, Yudi Saptono, stated that they had received a copy of the decision from the Task Force for the Prevention and Handling of Sexual Violence and the recommendation to revoke the civil servant status from the rectorate. Currently, the ministry's team is in the final stage of reviewing and almost reaching a decision.
Tempo has tried to confirm this matter with Edy. However, various attempts made have not received a response.
Disclaimer: If you or someone you know is experiencing or has experienced or witnessed sexual assault, harassment, and/or gender-based violence, please contact the nearest authorities and organizations. If you’re in Indonesia, you can call Pulih Foundation at (021) 78842580, Komnas Perempuan at (021) 80605399, or the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection’s SAPA Service 129 at 08111 129 129. For immediate dangers, call the police at Call Center 110.
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