Kemitraan Epistemik dalam Perlindungan Santri: Transformasi Pencegahan dan Penanganan Kekerasan Seksual di Pesantren

Abstract

This article examines how power relations and the manipulation of religious language within pesantren can produce epistemic injustice for students who experience sexual violence, while formulating an internally grounded model of institutional transformation. The study employs a qualitative design combining the author's critical autoethnography as an insider researcher at PPTI Al-Falah Salatiga with thematic analysis of five public Tadarus Subuh forums (episodes 192-196), triangulated through regulations, national research, academic studies, and relevant publicly documented cases. The findings identify three mechanisms that weaken victims' epistemic standing: theological or ritual legitimation of exploitative relations, misuse of cultures of obedience and khidmah (service), and spiritual intimidation combined with institutional reputation-protection that obstructs reporting. In response, the study develops an epistemic partnership framework that brings religious authority, interdisciplinary professional knowledge, and students' or survivors' lived experiences into dialogue as legitimate sources of knowledge. The framework is institutionalized through three interconnected dimensions: curriculum reorientation toward body literacy and sexuality education; structural reform through women's leadership, standard operating procedures, confidential reporting channels, and external partnerships; and cultural change through clear relational boundaries and reciprocal, dignity-preserving forms of khidmah. The study implies that regulatory compliance alone is insufficient without institutional accountability and courage. Its originality lies in connecting epistemic-injustice theory with internal pesantren reform through an epistemic partnership model that can be tested through future comparative research.