To the sobs and cheers of supporters at the gallery, the House of Representatives on Tuesday passed the long-awaited legislation criminalizing nine forms of sexual violence, including physical and verbal assault, harassment, coercion and coercion. The new law includes 15 years in prison for sexual exploitation, nine years for forced marriage and four years for circulating non-consensual sexual content. It also stipulates that the court must oblige convicts to pay compensation to victims, who must also be offered counseling. The law was proposed by the National Commission on Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan) and civil society groups 10 years ago. It was first discussed by the House of Representatives in 2016. The legislation was opposed by conservative groups, who argued that the definition of the sexual violence bill espoused liberal values that allowed “deviant” sexual behavior. The new legislation comes amid growing cases of violence against women in Indonesia. Komnas Perempuan reported 338,496 cases in 2021 – up from 220,000 in 2020. “When I heard the beating [of the gavel], my mask just filled with tears. I was shaking so much. I think my voice was the loudest in the room. “I kept screaming thank you and thank you,” said Imbaniasih Achmad, 56, who was at home to watch the bill pass. Iim has been fighting for the law since her daughter was raped in 2015. “Yesterday morning before I left home, I told my daughter, Ibu [mother] will go home today. “Today they will finally vote on the bill,” he said. “She understands that this fight is not just for her, but for all women, for all of us.” Willy Aditya, deputy chairman of the group that spearheaded the bill, said the discussions were “intense”. “The involvement of civil society has been tremendous, and even at the last minute, until the last seconds, we are still receiving information from them,” Willy said. The Jakarta chapter director of the Indonesian Women’s Justice Association’s Legal Aid Foundation, City Mazuma, said the bill marks a new beginning for the country. “It’s not just a law. this is the beginning of a new culture that we create together. “Indonesia has become a nation that will not tolerate and will not normalize sexual violence,” he said on Wednesday. City said survivors of sexual violence are often blamed by their community and discriminated against by authorities when reporting cases. The foundation said only about 30% of attacks are reported because victims are often scared or discouraged from going to the police. “Now we have to make sure that the government will provide the means and facilities for this law so that it can be implemented. Capacity building of each relevant institution. “Ensuring that they understand how to work with each institution, they understand the perspective of the victims, the rights of the victims,” he said.
