The government, in this case, the KPPPA, should be more active as it was mandated in the Domestic Violence Eradication Law Article 11 to 14Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection (KPPPA) should be more active in eradicating domestic violence, an official with the Legal Aid Foundation of the Indonesian Women's Association for Justice (LBH APIK) Ratna Batara Munti has said.
"The government, in this case, the KPPPA, should be more active as it was mandated in the Domestic Violence Eradication Law Article 11 to 14," she said at a webinar entitled 'Breaking the Chain of Violence and Recover the Victim', which was streamed on the YouTube account of the National Commission on Anti-Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) on Monday.
By getting more involved in the eradication of domestic violence, the ministry would show its commitment to protecting women and children—groups that are most vulnerable toward domestic violence, she opined.
"For example, the ministry could formulate more implementable policies so that the implementation of the Domestic Violence Eradication Law in the public can be more optimal," she said.
According to Munti, one such policy is issuing a standard operational procedure (SOP) concerning the implementation of the Domestic Violence Eradication Law.
By issuing this SOP, law enforcement officers would have a guideline for following up on reports pertaining to domestic violence cases, she explained.
"The association has designed the SOPs and we have sent them directly to the PPPA (Women's Empowerment and Child Protection) Minister," she informed.
In addition, Munti suggested that the ministry hold gender-sensitive education and training on the issue of domestic violence, especially for law enforcement officers and other service providers.
While the Domestic Violence Eradication Law is not designed to specifically protect women, the philosophy behind the law clearly considers women as a group that is vulnerable to domestic violence due to unequal gender relations between men and women, she said.
Hence, law enforcement authorities and service providers connected to domestic violence require gender-sensitive training, she added.
"This is our collective commitment, especially the state who is the most responsible in ensuring the implementation of this law in order to fulfill its goal of providing protection and prevention," Munti expounded.
During the webinar, the National Commission on Anti-Violence against Women also revealed that the revocation of reports concerning domestic violence by victims is the biggest hurdle in the implementation of the Domestic Violence Eradication Law.
This is attributed to a cycle in which the perpetrator apologizes to the victim and promises to not repeat the act, but continues to do so, as well as other factors such as financial conditions, marital relations, and the condition of children, it added.
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Translator: Putu Savitri, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Sri Haryati
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