Mr. Muhammad Taufan has only been in his position as Head of Kaleke Village, Dolo Barat District, Sigi Regency, for one year. In that short period, he has increased the budget for the Women and Child Protection Task Force (PPA Task Force) from Rp 8 million per year to Rp 12.6 million per year. In addition, he is currently drafting village regulations to create a village free from all forms of violence.
That afternoon, Mr. Taufan was seen discussing with several of his staff at the village office. Several residents were observed entering and leaving the village office to handle administrative documents. Mr. Taufan’s smile brightened when the team from IPAS Indonesia Foundation and the Central Sulawesi Women’s Equality Advocacy Group (KPKP-ST) visited his office. He then invited us to his office.
“We were inaugurated [as village head] in December 2022, until December this year [2023], one year,” said Mr. Taufan, occasionally adjusting his skullcap.
He stated that before he took office as village head, the previous leadership was also very concerned with handling cases of gender-based and sexual violence. In Sigi Regency itself, the local government has issued directives for villages to be responsive in handling cases of violence. This is stipulated in Sigi Regent’s Regulation No. 21 of 2020 concerning the Action Plan for the Protection of Women and Children Against Violence.
“Over the past year, we have tried to formulate policies. Firstly, the enhancement [of capacity] of our Task Force. Our intervention in the village is to allocate funds to the task force itself. Through these funds, socialization and introduction to the residents of Kaleke village are carried out, explaining what violence is and its impacts,” he added.
To support the activities of the PPA Task Force in his village, Mr. Taufan subsequently increased the budget sourced from the Village Fund. There was no objection from other village officials regarding this budget increase, as they understood the importance of protecting their residents from all forms of violence.
Within one year of his tenure, he revealed that several cases of domestic violence (KDRT) had occurred. “For the handling of such cases, thankfully, we have our Task Force, and we always coordinate. We always try to mediate first between the victim and the perpetrator,” he emphasized.
Nevertheless, one domestic violence case is still undergoing legal proceedings. Learning from this case, he, along with other village officials, is currently discussing a Village Regulation (Perdes) concerning Public Order. This Perdes will later serve as a strong foundation to eradicate violence and ensure that survivors and victims of violence in his village receive their rights.
“Last night we discussed the village regulation; it’s not that detailed yet, but it will be binding—a Village Regulation on public order. It is still in process. Last night, a socialization session was held with the community. Later, there will be a process we will follow, starting with the legal department, after which we can enact it into law,” he added.
Mr. Taufan is very committed to creating policies related to violence because there are many cases in his village that need to be addressed. Therefore, in addition to policies, he also ensures that there is a budget so that the PPA Task Force can easily carry out its activities. “What is concerning is that in our village, there are so many cases that need to be handled. I believe we must support these activities,” he emphasized.
Mr. Taufan is quite active in developing his capacity related to the handling and legal certainty of sexual violence. He frequently participates in training organized by KPKP-ST with support from the IPAS Indonesia Foundation, including responsive management of violence against women.
“After being inaugurated, there was training [from] KPKP-ST and IPAS related to the MoU on village intervention to budget funds for case handling. There was training in the village yesterday. Thankfully, I was able to attend,” he concluded.