Jakarta. The Human Rights Ministry on Wednesday defended the government’s free nutritious meals program, arguing that it represents a concrete effort to fulfill fundamental human rights rather than a violation of them.

The statement came in response to findings by the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), which recently reported "strong indications" of human rights violations in the implementation of President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship program.

Munafrizal Manan, Director General for Human Rights Services and Compliance at the ministry, said the initiative was specifically designed to guarantee basic rights protected by the state, including the right to food, a decent quality of life, and protection for future generations from stunting and malnutrition.

“This program is a concrete manifestation of the fulfillment of human rights,” Munafrizal said in a statement.

He explained that these rights fall under the category of positive rights, which require active government intervention and public policy measures to ensure they are realized.

“The fulfillment of these rights would be difficult to achieve without the involvement and concrete action of the state,” he said.

Munafrizal argued that it is inappropriate to immediately characterize the program as a human rights violation simply because shortcomings may exist in its implementation. The program targets schoolchildren, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, and preschool-aged children, with the primary objective of ensuring access to basic nutritional needs.

At the same time, the ministry acknowledged that irregularities or deficiencies may occur in the program’s implementation. However, he said such issues should be addressed through evaluation and improvements in governance rather than being treated as evidence that the program itself violates human rights.

He welcomed the National Commission on Human Rights’ call for a comprehensive review of the program but questioned its conclusion that human rights violations had already occurred.

“If a program genuinely violates human rights, it should not be tolerated to continue operating,” Munafrizal said. “The commission was right to call for a thorough evaluation of the free nutritious meals program, but mistaken in concluding that human rights violations have taken place.”

Earlier, the National Commission on Human Rights said its studies, research, and monitoring of the program had uncovered strong indications of human rights concerns in its implementation.

Commissioner Uli Parulian Sihombing cited tens of thousands of reported cases of mass food poisoning among school students allegedly linked to meals supplied through the state-funded program.

The commission also criticized an overly broad beneficiary target, weak oversight mechanisms, an emphasis on expanding the number of recipients rather than improving nutritional quality, limited transparency regarding Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units (SPPG), and insufficient protection for program personnel.

In addition, the commission questioned reports that state authorities had filed police complaints against individuals who publicly criticized the initiative.

Based on its findings, the National Commission on Human Rights urged the government to conduct a comprehensive review to ensure that the program is better targeted, more transparent, more accountable, and more closely aligned with human rights principles.