Indonesia Parliament passed a long-awaited bill that raises hopes of justice after spike in cases since the onset of pandemic.
After long deliberation, the Indonesian parliament passed a long-awaited bill to tackle sexual violence on Tuesday. The landmark decision was aimed at raising hopes of justice for the women after a spike in cases were reported in the country.
Indonesia women’s rights activists have fought for this for the past six years in a country where sexual abuse is often considered a private affair. According to activists, victims are often discouraged from reporting cases due to concerns about being shamed during police questioning. Since 2016, the world’s largest Muslim country has been anguished by various arguments on the bill by the opposition and conservative Islamic groups.
The bill combats the seeking of sex crimes by providing a legal framework for victims, including marital rape. “We hope that the implementation of this law will resolve sexual cases,” said house speaker Paun Maharani. The law recognizes that women and men can be considered victims of sexual crime and violence.
Accordingly, the final draft offers a transition from handling sexual violence cases to victims’ recovery by ordering compensation for them and providing community-based counselling. Physical abuse on the victim inside and outside of marriage now carries 12 years of a prison sentence, and forced marriage, including cases with children, carries nine years jail term and four years of prison for distributing non-consensual sexual content.
Published by Diwakar Kumar
Edited by:Â Aaradhana Singh
