"We hope after the bill is passed into law, the victims of sexual violence will be protected, and sexual violence cases will be prevented," Maharani affirmed in a written statement released on Thursday..
The legislature is committed to supporting the government's efforts in protecting sexual violence victims by passing the bill, the speaker remarked while pressing for more work to be done after the DPR RI designates the bill as a legislature-initiated bill during the next plenary session.
"What we are committing today will be our common duty because after January 18 (the next plenary session date), we will proceed to the next stage, as DPR RI and the government will together deliberate on the bill further," she remarked.
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Maharani highlighted the resilience of the family institution as one of the several aspects that must be synergized with the bill since most sexual violence cases are perpetrated by those, who are close to the victims.
“We need to address the matter of family resilience, as prevention of sexual violence must start from the family level," the speaker remarked.
Meanwhile, Islamic scholar Nur Rofiah of the Indonesian Women Ulema Congress (KUPI) remarked that her organization concluded that any form of sexual violence, occurring within and outside the institution of marriage, is forbidden by the Islamic law, and that a legal protection system must be ensured for victims of sexual violence.
"We are completely supportive of this bill. After its passing, the sexual violence prevention law will protect our people from falling victim or from being the suspect of sexual violence," Rofiah stated.
The congress had also organized a mass prayer activity as an expression of support for the passing of the sexual violence prevention bill, she added.
"We had also organized a mass prayer event earlier. An entire Islamic boarding school congregation joined the prayer through Zoom teleconference, and hundreds of boarding schools have prayed for DPR RI to pass the bill during our mass prayer event," the cleric remarked.
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Translator: Boyke Ledy W, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Suharto
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