Prevalence of Physical and Sexual Violence Against Women Decreased in 2021

The Indonesian Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection (Kemen PPPA) released the results of the 2021 National Women's Life Experience Survey (SPHPN) on Monday, December 27, 2021. The results show a decrease in the prevalence of physical and/or sexual violence experienced by women aged 15-64 years, perpetrated by partners and non-partners, compared to 2016, which reached 33.4%.

In 2021, physical and/or sexual violence against women was 26.1%. Specifically, 13.8% of women aged 15-64 had experienced physical violence at some point in their lives in 2021. This figure is down from 18.1% in 2016.

Similarly, the prevalence of women experiencing sexual violence also decreased. In 2016, the proportion reached 24.2%, falling to 18.7% in 2021.

Considering the area of residence, physical and/or sexual violence was more prevalent among women living in urban areas (27.8%) compared to those in rural areas (23.9%). However, these figures are down from 2016, which showed 36.3% in urban areas and 29.8% in rural areas.

Minister of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection, Bintang Puspayoga, stated that although the data shows a decrease in the prevalence of violence against women and children, the figures remain concerning. "This means we cannot be complacent and stop here. Our journey is still long. There should not be a single child or woman who experiences violence, regardless of the reason," she said.

The SPHPN survey was conducted across 33 provinces and 160 regencies/cities, involving female respondents aged 15-64. A total of 12,800 households were sampled, spread across 1,280 blocks. The sampling method used was stratified multistage sampling.