Indonesia's parliament passed a long-awaited bill on Tuesday to tackle sexual violence, aimed at building stronger cases and helping victims to secure justice in a country where sexual abuse has often been regarded as a private matter.
A majority of lawmakers backed the bill at the plenary session in parliament, overcoming opposition from some conservative groups in the world's biggest Muslim majority country after six years of deliberation.
Sexual violence complaints have been rising in Indonesia, where prosecuting crimes of a sexual nature has been complicated by the absence of specific legislation. Activists says victims' concerns of being shamed during questioning have deterred many from speaking up.Vivi Widyawati from the Perempuan Mahardhika, a civil society organisation that was consulted on the bill, said it was important to monitor closely how authorities enforce the law.
The National Commission on Violence Against Women and civil society groups first proposed the idea of legislation a decade ago and a bill was submitted to the house in 2016.The final draft approved on Tuesday includes prison terms of up to 12 years for crimes of physical sexual abuse, both within and outside of marriage, and 15 years for sexual exploitation.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Indonesia passes landmark sexual violence billIndonesia's parliament passed on Tuesday a long-awaited bill to tackle sexual violence, aimed at providing a legal framework for victims to secure justice in a country where sexual abuse has often been regarded as a private matter.
Read more »
Indonesia police fire tear gas to disperse protest at parliamentIndonesian police fired tear gas and water cannon on Monday to disperse hundreds of university students protesting high cooking oil prices and a mooted extension of President Joko Widodo's stay in office.
Read more »
Banner University helps dozens of sexual assault survivors with new programThe SAFE-T Program is a collaboration between Banner University, the Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault and the University of Arizona Consortium on Gender Based Violence.
Read more »
UN Women for gender equality calls for end of rape as war tactic in Ukraine'We are increasingly hearing of rape and sexual violence,' U.N. Women Executive Director Sima Bahous said during a U.N. Security Council meeting on Monday.
Read more »
I’m a DoorDash delivery driver. I deserve both flexibility and a safety net. | Opinion'While the flexibility of app-based platforms like DoorDash has been great for me and my family, I sometimes grow concerned about missing out on the protections that come with traditional employment,' writes a DoorDash driver in Philly.
Read more »
Colorado lawmakers pass bill making Juneteenth state holidayDENVER — Colorado lawmakers have passed a bill designating Juneteenth, which celebrates the end of slavery in the U.S., as an official state holiday, and Gov. Jared Polis is expected to sign …
Read more »