Strengthening Campus Governance to Prevent Sexual Violence: A Digital Institutional Model for Indonesian Higher Education Institutions

Abstract

Sexual violence in higher education remains a pervasive challenge, even in the wake of substantial regulatory reforms, thus highlighting the urgent need for institutional models capable of translating policy into transparent, auditable practices that prioritize survivor safety and support. This study was designed to develop and empirically evaluate a digital institutional governance model intended to strengthen both the prevention and response mechanisms for sexual violence within Indonesian universities. Employing a sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach, the research combined a comprehensive survey of 732 stakeholders—encompassing students, faculty, administrative staff, and task force members—to assess the adoption and perceived impact of nine core digital governance components, with in-depth qualitative interviews and focus group discussions involving 30 key informants to further explore institutional readiness, task-force mediation, and user experience. The results demonstrated widespread acceptance of digital governance initiatives and a moderate yet meaningful level of model fit (R² = 0.403). Notably, interactive, service-oriented features—such as confidential e-counseling platforms, bidirectional feedback channels, and cross-unit digital dashboards—were found to exert the most substantial influence on institutional effectiveness, while static informational tools yielded only marginal effects. Overall, the effectiveness of digital governance systems was contingent upon institutional readiness and the capacity of dedicated task forces to mediate and operationalize policies into everyday practice. The principal contribution of this study lies in its integration of socio-technical and institutional frameworks, resulting in a coherent, auditable model that directly links digital interventions to institutional accountability and survivor protection. The validated governance architecture and construct-aligned evidence base produced by this research offer a replicable foundation for reform in higher education settings across the Global South, thereby informing both university administrators and policymakers on strategies to enhance safe access, build implementer capacity, and institute robust performance monitoring mechanisms.