The Founders Of WCR Indonesia

WCR Indonesia was founded by academics, practitioners, law enforcement officers, and researchers who possess extensive experience in the protection of women and children, strengthening law enforcement systems, social resilience, and the development of human rights-based public policies. Since its establishment, WCR Indonesia has been designed not merely as an advocacy organization, but as an institution capable of bridging the needs of victims, law enforcement agencies, government institutions, academics, and the international community in building a stronger, more professional, and more responsive protection system for women and children amid evolving social challenges and digital technological developments.

The main strength of WCR Indonesia lies in the track records of its founders, who have worked directly for more than two decades in handling cases of violence against women and children, developing integrated victim service systems, strengthening the capacity of law enforcement officers, and collaborating with both national and international institutions. The founders possess extensive practical experience in assisting victims of sexual violence, domestic violence, human trafficking, child sexual exploitation, Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TF-GBV), and strengthening protection systems for vulnerable groups at the national level.

Under the leadership of Dr. Margaretha Hanita, S.H., M.Si., WCR Indonesia has developed into an organization capable of integrating national resilience approaches, human rights protection, and institutional strengthening in addressing gender-based violence. As an academic who has taught at institutions including the University of Indonesia and the Indonesia Defense University, as well as a practitioner with more than 20 years of experience in women and children protection, Dr. Hanita has extensive experience serving as a national consultant for the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection, the Indonesian National Police, including the Indonesian National Police Education and Training Institute (Lemdiklat Polri), and as a partner to various international organizations such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UN Women, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and USAID.

Dr. Hanita’s experience includes strengthening integrated services for victims of gender-based violence within police institutions, hospitals, and government partner institutions, including the development of a gender-based violence referral system during the COVID-19 pandemic in collaboration with UNDP Indonesia. In addition to being actively involved in policy and victim service development, Dr. Hanita has also served as an instructor in integrated training programs on the Juvenile Criminal Justice System (Sistem Peradilan Pidana Anak/SPPA) for law enforcement officers involving the Indonesian National Police Education and Training Institute (Lemdiklat Polri), the Human Resources Development Agency of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, the Prosecutor’s Office training institutions, and the Judicial Training Institution of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Indonesia. This experience has shaped WCR Indonesia’s capacity to deeply understand the need for reform in handling cases of violence against women and children within law enforcement institutions.

The strength of WCR Indonesia is further reinforced by the involvement of Prof. Dr. Suswandari, M.Pd., a senior academic and one of the early initiators of the establishment of the Integrated Service Center for Women and Children Empowerment (P2TP2A) of DKI Jakarta Province in 2004. The integrated service model developed through this initiative later became a national reference and was adopted across various regions in Indonesia as a government-based integrated protection system for women and children. With more than 20 years of experience in research, assistance for women and child victims of violence, social resilience development, and the strengthening of multicultural and gender-sensitive approaches, Prof. Suswandari brings a strong academic foundation and evidence-based programming approach to every WCR Indonesia program.

Her contributions include involvement in various national and international programs related to gender-based violence referral pathways supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), family resilience research, and the development of violence prevention strategies for women and children. Prof. Suswandari’s contributions further strengthen WCR Indonesia’s position as an organization that focuses not only on responding to cases, but also on building prevention systems grounded in research, practical action, community empowerment, and sustainable social policies.

In the field of law enforcement and case investigation, WCR Indonesia possesses strategic strength through the involvement of Senior Commissioner of Police (Ret.) Endang Sri Lestari, a retired officer of the Indonesian National Police with extensive experience in handling cases of violence against women and children within the Criminal Investigation Division and the Directorate of Women and Children Protection & Human Trafficking (Dittipid PPA & PPO) of the Indonesian National Police Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim Polri). AKBP (Ret.) Endang has direct operational experience in investigating cases of sexual violence, child protection, human trafficking, and the development of victim-handling systems based on gender-sensitive approaches.

AKBP (Ret.) Endang has actively contributed to the drafting of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for handling violence against women and children, the development of investigator training modules, the preparation of Juvenile Criminal Justice System (SPPA) guidelines, and the strengthening of competency standards for Indonesian police investigators in collaboration with Lemdiklat Polri, the Legal Division of the Indonesian National Police (Divkum Polri), the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Cooperation (JCLEC), and various other national institutions. She has also served as a trainer for Training of Trainers (ToT) programs for Women and Children Protection Units (PPA), an assessor for police investigators, a member of the drafting team for the Sexual Violence Crime Bill (RUU TPKS), and part of the team responsible for developing SOPs for handling women, children, and persons with disabilities as victims. The presence of AKBP (Ret.) Endang further strengthens WCR Indonesia’s understanding of the operational challenges faced by law enforcement agencies in handling gender-based violence cases, including challenges related to electronic evidence and victim protection within legal proceedings.

In addressing issues of gender-based violence in the digital era, WCR Indonesia is further strengthened by the involvement of Stefani Selina Prameswari, a young researcher and conflict resolution practitioner whose work focuses on Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TF-GBV), the protection of women and children, human rights, and strengthening the capacity of law enforcement agencies. Through collaborations with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the UNDP Seoul Policy Center, the Korean National Police Academy, Polda Metro Jaya, and the Indonesian National Police Education and Training Institute (Lemdiklat Polri), Stefani has been actively involved in conducting Training of Trainers (ToT) programs for hundreds of Indonesian police investigators on handling technology-facilitated gender-based violence and digital case investigations.

Selina’s experience in policy research, transitional justice, and human rights advocacy through collaborations with Amnesty International Indonesia and Asia Justice and Rights (AJAR) further strengthens WCR Indonesia’s capacity to address emerging challenges in the protection of women and children within increasingly complex digital spaces. She is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Conflict Resolution at Georgetown University with a focus on Gender, Peace, and Security.

WCR Indonesia is also reinforced by the involvement of Prof. Dr. Ir. Reni Mayerni, M.P., a senior academic, national resilience figure, and women’s leader with extensive strategic experience at the national level in policy analysis, national resilience, strategic resource development, and institutional governance. Prof. Reni’s role as part of the advisory board of WCR Indonesia provides important reinforcement for the organization, particularly in strengthening the perspective that the resilience of women and children constitutes an integral part of national resilience and sustainable development.

Prof. Reni Mayerni is a Professor at Andalas University with expertise in agrotechnology and strategic resource development. She also made history as the first woman to serve as Deputy for Strategic Studies at the National Resilience Institute of the Republic of Indonesia (Lemhannas RI) since 2019. In this strategic position, she has led various national and international studies related to national resilience, strategic resource management, sustainable development, and the strengthening of state policies in addressing global social, economic, and geopolitical challenges.

Currently, Prof. Reni Mayerni also serves as a Commissioner within a national energy business entity under Pertamina New & Renewable Energy, further strengthening her experience in strategic corporate governance, sustainable development, and national resource management. In addition to her contributions in academia and national resilience, Prof. Reni is also actively involved in various Minangkabau women’s networks and movements, including Indo Jalito, which promote women’s leadership, social empowerment, and development based on family and community resilience.