Yogyakarta, Indonesia — What if religious institutions weren’t just guardians of tradition, but frontline defenders of children’s rights? This bold vision is taking root in Indonesia, where UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta is leading a movement to transform religious outreach into a human rights mission—one that centers children, families, and vulnerable communities.
At the heart of this movement was
the International Seminar on “Islam and Children’s Rights”, held on July 30,
2025, at the Convention Hall of UIN Sunan Kalijaga. The event brought together
leading scholars, religious authorities, child rights advocates, and hundreds
of Islamic counselors and marriage registrars (penghulu and penyuluh agama)
from across the Yogyakarta region. Their goal: to position Indonesia’s vast
network of Kantor Urusan Agama (KUA) as agents of transformation—not just
bureaucrats of marriage paperwork, but ethical lighthouses guiding communities
toward justice for children.
In his opening remarks, Prof.
Noorhaidi Hasan, Rector of UIN Sunan Kalijaga, laid down a sharp provocation.
“Religious leaders must reclaim Islam not as an obstacle to social justice, but
as its engine,” he said. The seminar, he added, was part of a three-year
institutional initiative to deepen grassroots understanding of children’s
rights, especially among frontline religious workers.
Prof. Noorhaidi challenged the
tendency to dismiss human rights as "Western constructs," arguing
instead that they are deeply embedded in Islamic tradition through the concept
of maqāṣid al-sharīʿah—the preservation of life, intellect, lineage, and
dignity. “All human beings are born free,” he said. “No one should be tortured,
enslaved, or marginalized. These are not foreign values. These are divine
mandates.”
What’s needed, he argued, is a shift
toward “fiqh al-hadārah”—a civilizational jurisprudence that prioritizes human
dignity over legal literalism, promotes gender equality, and safeguards the
rights of children as central to the Islamic mission.
The seminar gathered some of the
world’s leading minds on Islamic law and child protection, forging an
intercontinental dialogue on faith, justice, and reform.
Prof. Lena Larsen of the Norwegian
Centre for Human Rights set the tone by stating, “Child and family protection
are central to Islamic law. These values must be reinterpreted continuously
through various methodologies.”
Prof. Dr. Abu Rokhmad, Director
General of Islamic Guidance at Indonesia’s Ministry of Religious Affairs,
reaffirmed institutional backing: “The Ministry fully supports this agenda of
integrating child protection into religious life.”
From the U.S., Prof. Nelly van
Doorn-Harder (Wake Forest University) offered a critical expansion of the
discourse. “Protection is not enough,” she said. “Children’s participation must
also be part of religious and public agendas.”
Alissa Wahid, psychologist and
national coordinator of The Wahid Institute, brought the conversation back to
the family unit: “The family is the first and most critical space for
protection. That’s where psychosocial foundations begin.”
Dr. Rita Pranawati of Indonesia’s
Child Protection Commission (KPAI) pushed for a systemic overhaul: “Human
rights must not be abstract rhetoric. They should guide comprehensive
protection policies.”
Dr. Faqihuddin Abdul Kodir, from the
Congress of Indonesian Women Ulama (KUPI), underscored the need for
reinterpretation of Islamic legal heritage: “We must reread our classical
Islamic texts to ensure they uphold modern justice for children—not just repeat
ancient formulas.”
Finally, Dr. Halili Rais, a scholar
on human rights and religion, made the institutional challenge plain: “KUA can
become an institution of transformation. But this requires synergy among the
state, religious authorities, and civil society.”
This seminar is not an isolated
academic event. Over the past three years, UIN Sunan Kalijaga has spearheaded a
national-scale program to train thousands of KUA officers across Indonesia. The
university has published seven training manuals, conducted field research on child
rights sensitivity, and developed a model of community-based protection rooted
in Islamic values.
The seminar reinforced four core
objectives:
- Enhancing KUA officers’ understanding of children’s
rights in both Islamic and national law.
- Embedding child protection in everyday religious
guidance and services.
- Fostering cross-sector partnerships among the Ministry
of Religious Affairs, child protection bodies, and civil society.
- Generating concrete policy recommendations and best
practices for national replication.
Islam
as a Catalyst, Not a Constraint
In a world where religion is often
politicized or misused to justify inequality, UIN Sunan Kalijaga offers a
compelling counter-narrative: Islam as a catalyst for dignity, not dogma. “This
program is more than training,” Prof. Noorhaidi concluded. “It is our
commitment to an Islam that sides with those most vulnerable—our children.”
This is not just about Indonesia.
This is a case study in how faith-based institutions can reclaim theology as a
source of rights, not restrictions—and how the frontline of religious life,
from mosques to marriage offices, can become places of compassion, safety, and
justice.
In the words of many at the seminar,
the mission ahead is clear: not to retreat into inherited doctrines, but to
move forward—armed with faith, reason, and the will to protect the youngest
among us. (humassk)