FISIP Undip cares about the safety of students, lecturers and the entire academic community within it. Following up on this commitment, FISIP Undip, through the FISIP Wellness Unit (FWU), on January 11, 2024, disseminated research results on the safety of students using online transportation services by inviting 3 online transportation service provider platforms, including Go-Jek, Grab, and Maxim.
The dissemination of the research results is intended to strengthen the awareness of service providers regarding the importance of ensuring the safety of students and other academic members from sexual violence that may occur to them when using these services.
At this activity, the Deputy Dean for Student Affairs of FISIP, Deputy Dean for Finance and Resources of FISIP, Chair and Secretary of FISIP Wellness Undip, Student Counseling Board (BKM) for each Department, managers, supervisors, educational staff, and student representatives were present at the event. Meanwhile, the representatives of Go-Jek management were present as online transportation service provider platforms.
FWU explained that the survey was conducted among FISIP Undip students in the period of August-October 2023 and was attended by 220 respondents, consisting of 46 percent male respondents and 54 percent female respondents. The results show that of all respondents, 35 percent often use the service (frequent users), and 65 percent occasionally (once-in-a-while users). When compared with the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences Undip student population of 4681 students, this percentage is relatively high. Among these students, 41.4 percent are users of motorbike-based transportation services, 6.8 are car-based, and 51.8 are both, with Go-Jek users at 85.5 percent, Grab 57.3 percent, Maxim 36.8 percent, and others 3.2 percent.
The FISIP Wellness Unit highlights service provision practices that are vulnerable to risks to the safety of students and the academic community. The survey results showed that 60 percent of respondents had experienced drivers with different vehicles and number plates, 31 percent had experienced different driver identities, 31 percent of drivers had used different routes, and 4 percent answered other. An important note from the FISIP Wellness Unit is that a survey revealed that students experienced sexual violence, which included 4 cases of obscene words, 2 cases of being taken to a foreign route or other place/destination, 11 cases of verbal violence, and 2 cases of drivers groping/touching sexually.
Recognizing the fact that students and other academic members are vulnerable to sexual violence when using online transportation services, FISIP encourages online transportation service providers to ensure the safety of passengers, especially students and the FISIP Undip academic community, from sexual violence. On this occasion, representatives of Go-Jek Semarang expressed their appreciation because FISIP had raised a critical issue, as well as explaining technology-based safety mechanisms, protection and education through the #AmanBersamaGo-Jek platform, one of which was through “Share Location” and “Emergency Button” provided through the application.
Through dissemination and joint commitment between FISIP and online transportation service providers, it is hoped that in the future, students will be safer when using the service. As emphasized by the Deputy Dean for Student Affairs and Deputy Dean for Finance, Resources, FISIP Undip, this protection is important considering the severe impact of sexual violence, both verbal and physical, on mental health and the quality of the learning process.
Feeling safe and comfortable is essential for the academic community when carrying out teaching and learning activities, including when leaving and returning from campus. The next important step is declaring a commitment from online transportation service providers to make FISIP Undip a safe and comfortable zone for users of online transportation services.
