Prosecutor Must Monitor Restitution for Sexual Violence Victims: Think Tank

TheIndonesia.id - The involvement of prosecutors to monitor and supervise restitution payment for victims of sexual violence can be crucial to ensure the process run smoothly, a think tank has recently suggested.

The Institute for Criminal Justice Reform, or ICJR, suggested the government and working committee (Panja) of sexual violence bill to include prosecutors in restitution process, so it can work together with the Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK) to ensure the process is carried out as ordered.

“To ensure the execution mechanism of restitution is done smoothly, then the responsibility for supervision and execution can be assigned to prosecutors while distribution monitoring can be carried out by LPSK,” researcher from ICJR Maidina Rahmawati said on Thursday, March 31, as reported by Antara.

The deliberation on sexual violence bill continued this week with the government and Panja discussing Article 22 which regulates types of crimes, aggravating circumstances, evidences, and types of advocates.

On Thursday, they are set to discuss restitution and the rights of victims of sexual violence, and last week, ICJR proposed victim trust fund scheme to the House of Representatives’ Legislation Committee (Baleg) to ensure victims’ protection and recovery become more efficient.

After deliberation on Wednesday, Baleg said it supported and is committed to incorporate the scheme into the bill.

Representative of the government, Deputy Minister of Law and Human Rights Edward Omar Sharif Hiariej, has also expressed his commitment to formulate the victim trust fund.

ICJR said the scheme can help restitution payment for victims when the confiscated assets of perpetrators is not enough. It also recommended the trust fund to assist various activities – related to victim’s protection and recovery – in the technical implementation unit for the protection of women and children (UPTD PPA).

Lastly, ICJR suggested the victim trust fund scheme to be formulated in an implementing regulation.