House of Representatives Proposes Sexual Violence Bill

TheIndonesia.co - Members of the House of Representatives (DPR) has reached an agreement to approve the sexual violence bill as its initiative during a plenary meeting on Tuesday, January 18.

Led by House Speaker Puan Maharani, the plenary session saw all but one fraction agreeing to make the bill a House initiative after previously proposed by the House’s Legislation Committee (Baleg).

Maharani said that upon the decision, the House will push for talks with the government to discuss the bill, to ultimately pass it as a law. And President Joko Widodo is expected to issue a letter soon that will kickoff the talk.

“The President’s letter will contain the government’s representative appointed by the President to discuss the bill with the House, along with the problem inventory list,” Maharani said.

During the deliberation, she expected the public to continue offering their inputs and suggestions to the House to ensure the bill become an efficient tool to combat any form of sexual violence in society.

From nine fractions in the House, Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) fraction said it was against the bill being proposed as House initiative because it deemed the bill to be lacking from other fundamental points that should be included.

“We’re against [the decision] not because we’re against the protection of sexual violence victims, especially women, but the bill doesn’t comprehensively regulate the entire immoral acts which include sexual violence, adultery, and sexual deviance,” spokesperson for the party Kurniasih Mufidayanti said.