Indonesia Outlaws Sexual Abuse and Forced Marriage
The new law includes 15-year prison sentences for sexual exploitation, nine years for forced marriage, and four years for circulating non-consensual sexual content.
Landwebs
For the first time, Indonesia has passed a landmark bill that outlaws forced marriage and sexual abuse, criminalizing nine forms of sexual violence, including physical and verbal assault, harassment, forced sterilization, and exploitation, reports The Guardian. Proposed by the National Commission on Violence Against Women and civil society groups 10 years ago, the new law includes 15-year prison sentences for sexual exploitation, nine years for forced marriage, and four years for circulating non-consensual sexual content. Opposing conservative groups argued the bill’s definition of sexual violence supported liberal values that allowed “deviant” sexual behaviors. 338,496 cases of violence against women have been reported in Indonesia in 2021 – up from 220,000 in 2020. Only about 30 percent of attacks are reported because victims are often scared or discouraged from going to the police.
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