That morning, July 16, 2025, the road to the Sonorejo Village Office, Sukoharjo Regency, Central Java, was quiet. Sonorejo, a village known as a leather craft center, is one of the working areas of the ARUNIKA (Women Empowered for a Violence-Free Indonesia) project. The weather was hot when I arrived, and the dust in the village office yard signaled that the dry season had arrived. However, the enthusiasm of the participants in the Community-Based Services (LBK) formation workshop remains bright in the joglo in front of the village office.
LBK was established as an effort to strengthen the complaint and assistance system for cases of violence, especially sexual violence. The goal is clear: to bring access to services for victims and survivors of violence closer to the village level.
The workshop was opened by the Head of Women’s Empowerment Division of DPPKBP3A Sukoharjo, Budiarti Sri Rahayu, who emphasized the importance of cross-sector collaboration in handling violence.
“So, panjenengan [all of you ] are our long arm to provide services. Sukoharjo district also has an Empowered Sub-district program. This is similar to the establishment of this LBK. This program is in line with the vision of the Governor of Central Java. There is another vision of the new governor to form empowered sub-districts, four sub-districts must be formed, and by the end of the year all must be formed. The aim is to provide services for victims of violence,” said Sri Rahayu.
The facilitator of the activity from SPEK HAM, Rahayu Purwaningsih, emphasized the urgency of establishing LBK in every village. According to her, so far violence prevention information and services are only available at the city or provincial level, making it difficult for villagers to access them.
The head of LBK Sonorejo, Erlina, said that cases of violence in her area have not been handled well. Data from 2024 shows that there were 116 cases of violence in Sukoharjo District, 46 of which were violence against women.
“LBK is important because there are already several cases that we have assisted, and there are several cases that are not reported but actually exist. The Sonorejo community is very responsive to anything new, including LBK,” he said.
During the workshop, the LBK structure was established, from the chairperson, secretary and divisions for case intake, handling and referral. They also developed an initial work plan, including referral flow and a strategy for socializing the program to the community.
The establishment of LBK is the first step. There is still much work to be done to ensure LBK is able to provide effective and sustainable services. The commitment that has been built needs to be strengthened with technical support, mentoring, monitoring and advocacy.
An important learning from this process is that building access to services for victims of violence is not an instant process. It requires a series of supporting activities such as ongoing discussions, training and facilitation. Coordination and communication with relevant parties, such as the Women’s Empowerment Office and the village government, is key for LBK to run as expected.
Written by Purwantining Fitri Kawuri
