The Office of the Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kantor Kementerian Agama/Kemenag) of Pesisir Barat issued a Circular Letter (Surat Edaran/SE) on the Establishment of the Violence Prevention and Handling Team (Tim Pencegahan dan Penanganan Kekerasan/TPPK) in madrasahs across Pesisir Barat on Friday (May 23, 2025). This SE was supported by the Office of Women’s Empowerment, Child Protection, and Family Planning (DPPPAKB) of Pesisir Barat and the KREASI Pesisir Barat Program implemented by Save the Children with its partner, the Teachers Learning Foundation (Yayasan Guru Belajar).
As a follow-up to this SE, 52 madrasahs—including raudhatul athfal (early childhood Islamic schools), madrasah ibtidaiyah (elementary level), madrasah tsanawiyah (junior high level), and madrasah aliyah (senior high level)—formed school-level TPPK teams.
This initiative emerged from field needs. Previously, cases of violence against children had occurred several times in certain madrasahs, but handling was still limited to internal school initiatives without an overarching policy framework. As a result, case resolution had yet to provide maximum protection for children.
Since April 2025, the KREASI Program (Collaboration for Children’s Education in Indonesia) in Pesisir Barat, run by Save the Children with the Teachers Learning Foundation, has been advocating for policies that could serve as a legal basis for addressing cases of violence in schools.
The Pesisir Barat Kemenag Office welcomed KREASI’s advocacy. The Islamic Education Division of the Pesisir Barat Kemenag Office then drafted the SE, which became the legal foundation for madrasahs to establish TPPK.
Head of the Islamic Education Division of the Pesisir Barat Kemenag Office, Ahmad Khotob, conveyed his institution’s commitment to preventing and handling violence against children in the madrasah environment.
“We are committed to ensuring that every student can learn in a safe and protected environment. The presence of TPPK in each madrasah is an important instrument to achieve this,” he said.
Meanwhile, Head of the Pesisir Barat DP3AKB, Budy Wiyono, stated that the SE on TPPK is a symbol of change.
“Madrasahs in Pesisir Barat are no longer working individually, but moving together with the support of the local government and development partners. With this synergy, it is hoped that the child protection system in the education environment will become stronger, while also reinforcing sustainable steps toward inclusive, safe, and violence-free education in Pesisir Barat Regency,” he said.
District Representative of KREASI Pesisir Barat, Rikson Simanjuntak, appreciated the collaboration among various parties in issuing the SE.
“Collaboration with Kemenag and DPPPAKB Pesisir Barat is a real manifestation of joint commitment to ensure that every child can learn safely. We believe that the establishment of TPPK will be an important foundation for madrasahs in providing education services that are just and child-centered,” he said.
Writer Rikson Simanjuntak; Editor Andika Ramadhan