Commemorating International Youth Day, Youth in Central Java Advocate for Safe Spaces Free from Violence

“Let’s dare to speak up, believe me there must be a safe space, speak up!” was the message conveyed by Asyifa Azdkiah Haqiqi, the organizer of the activity “We Speak Up Because We Matter: Empowered Youth Free from Violence”. This activity was carried out to commemorate International Youth Day which falls on August 12.

This event, held at the Joint Secretariat Building in Surakarta City, Central Java, on August 2, 2025, was managed by Health Rangers – an initiative to encourage youth in Central Java to better understand violence, including its prevention and access to services.

Data from the National Survey on the Life Experiences of Children and Adolescents in 2024 showed that 10.58% of men and 11.43% of women aged 18-24 experienced one or more forms of sexual violence before the age of 18. Based on these findings, adolescents have an important role in preventing and handling violence, from understanding violence, reporting to providing support, accessing services to creating safe spaces in their communities.

Asyifa explained that the theme “We Speak Up Because We Matter” was chosen to encourage youth to understand how they can have safe spaces. “Adolescents are also capable of being empowered and understanding what violence is,” she asserted.

This activity was packaged as a discussion involving at least 100 young people from various communities. Discussion topics included education on violence, including sexual violence, the rights of violence victims, and how victims can report if they experience violence.

One of the discussion participants from the Mojosongo Youth Community in Surakarta City, named Fransisca, stated that she was very enthusiastic about participating in the discussion. “The activity was engaging; by participating, I gained more experience and knowledge, such as new information about reporting [violence victims],” she said.

The “We Speak Up Because We Matter” activity is part of Health Rangers’ efforts to increase public knowledge about violence, especially sexual violence. Previously, 30 young people were trained in a three-day workshop organized by Pilar PKBI Central Java.

PKBI Central Java Pillar Project Officer Anis Sapitri said she was quite happy because the number of participants exceeded expectations. There was a concern whether we could reach 75 participants but more than 100 people attended, the Deputy Mayor of Surakarta also attended and gave support, the Health Rangers were called,” he said.

She hopes that Health Rangers can create more engaging initiatives to reach more young people, so they can learn about violence and collectively create safe spaces.

Health Rangers is part of the ARUNIKA program (Empowered Women for an Indonesia Free from Violence) by the IPAS Indonesia Foundation, supported by the Government of Canada. This program is implemented in Sukoharjo Regency, Semarang Regency, and Surakarta City with the aim of improving access to comprehensive and holistic services for victims of violence.

Reporter: Purwantining Fitri Kawuri