In 2020, Komnas Perempuan received 2,300 complaints of violence against women, an increase of 68 percent compared to 1,419 in 2019.Jakarta (ANTARA) - Cases of violence against women have spiked significantly in Indonesia amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Commission on Anti-Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan) has said.
“In 2020, Komnas Perempuan received 2,300 complaints of violence against women, an increase of 68 percent compared to 1,419 in 2019,” Chief of Komnas Perempuan Andy Yentriyani said during an online discussion on strengthening the policy and strategy of eliminating violence against women, accessed from Jakarta on Tuesday.
Complaints of violence against women have risen significantly by an average of 14 percent in each of the past five years, she noted.
More surprisingly, the number of complaints in the first half of 2021 reached 2,500, surpassing the number of complaints received in 2020, she informed.
The commission noted an 18-percent rise in incidents of sexual violence and an almost three-fold increase in incidents of gender-based cyber violence against women last year, Yentriyani said.
Domestic violence made up the majority of complaints received by the Komnas Perempuan, she informed. In addition, the commission also found incidents of violence against women in the context of development, natural resource management and criminalization of woman human rights' defenders, she said.
In general, the COVID-19 pandemic has also increased women’s workload, she added.
Rising tension within families due to loss of jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic is one of the indicators as per complaints received during the pandemic, she said.
The rising number of complaints received by Komnas Perempuan also demonstrate victims’ bravery to report the cases, she added.
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Translator: Muhammad Z, Suharto
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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