The program aims to ensure that women and children are not merely passive recipients of assistance but are empowered to play stronger roles in social and economic life.
Jakarta (ANTARA) – Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian has called for women’s empowerment and child protection programs to become mandatory for regional governments, urging them to be included in local development plans and regional budgets for 2027.
In a statement on Monday, Tito said regional governments could implement the policy through the Ruang Bersama Indonesia (RBI), or Indonesia Shared Spaces, concept, which focuses on empowering and protecting women and children at the village level.
The concept was formally established through a joint ministerial decree signed by Tito, Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Arifah Fauzi, and Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions Yandri Susanto at the Ministry of Home Affairs headquarters in Jakarta on Monday.
“Based on this joint decree, women’s empowerment and child protection activities under the RBI concept at the village level will not merely be ceremonial. We will actively oversee their implementation to ensure they become mandatory,” Tito said.
He emphasized that RBI programs must be incorporated into regional budgets and development plans, including the 2027 Regional Government Work Plan (RKPD), making their implementation a mandatory responsibility for local governments.
“We will monitor this closely. If a region fails to include the RBI program, we will send its draft budget back for revision until the program is incorporated in accordance with this joint decree,” he warned.
Tito said women and children continue to face various challenges, including domestic violence, human trafficking, and harmful behaviors that affect minors.
The program aims to ensure that women and children are not merely passive recipients of assistance but are empowered to play stronger roles in social and economic life.
“This focuses on empowering them so they have a stronger bargaining position. They should not merely be passive recipients, but active participants. We want them to become more resilient,” he said.
Tito said implementing RBI would require collaboration among the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection, the Ministry of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection will focus on empowerment and protection strategies, while the Ministry of Villages will oversee implementation at the village level. The Ministry of Home Affairs will guide regional governments through district heads and mayors.
He expressed hope that the joint decree would enable women’s empowerment and child protection programs at the village level to be implemented in a more targeted and sustainable manner.
Related news: Govt inks joint decree to boost women’s empowerment, child protection
Translator: Fianda Sjofjan, Raka Adji
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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