Observing these incidents, and due to the push from various parties, the House of Representatives (DPR) has proposed a law to combat such violence, entitled the Sexual Violence Prevention Bill or RUU TPKS.
However, getting the bill to be approved for further discussion in the parliament took some time, with the expectation that it will immediately be ratified to become law.
The South Sulawesi Legal Aid Foundation of the Indonesian Women's Association for Justice (LBH APIK) Director Rosmiati Sain said the public’s long wait over the presence of an legal umbrella on strict penalties for sexual violence against women and children will immediately be realized.
"Currently, the bill has become a DPR initiative bill and it is a good news for us all, especially for those who actively advocate for this bill," she told ANTARA.
One of the types of sexual violence stipulated within the bill's draft is online sexual violence, she noted.
"In addition to handling and recovery, prevention effort will also be strengthened by involving the people's participation and various literacy, reading material for the public," she said.
On a separate occasion, Makassar Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) Director Muhammad Haedir said that sexual violence and harassment against women and children is akin to an iceberg phenomenon.
The handling of the case rarely is taken to court by law enforcement authorities, leading the people to question their rights for justice.
There are many regulations designed to protect women and children, but they are deemed to be not enough to save victims, he added.
Victims continue to increase, while the state has not provided legal guarantees.
This necessitates a quick response in the form of implementing a new rule, such as the RUU TPKS based on the input from various parties.
Makassar LBH's Women, Children, and Disabled Rights Division Coordinator Resky Pratiwi added that the reports on violence against vulnerable groups rise, along with the people's awareness.
It was recorded that there were 250 reports with 90 violence cases experienced by women, children, and people with disabilities in 2021.
She noted that 65 percent of reported cases were received from victims experiencing sexual violence, followed by 29 percent of domestic violence cases, with six percent being physical violence against children.
"Based on the reports that we received, the victims experience this act of violence more than once," she said.
These incidents happened to wives, ex-wives, children, and domestic workers, and many of them are not processed due to verification issues, flawed procedure, and other hurdles from law enforcement authorities, she added.
Violence Data
Data from the Women and Child Protection Online Information System (Simfoni PPA), Kemenpppa.go.id, recorded 3.690 reported cases in February 2022.
From this figure, 3.424 cases are experienced by women.
Nationally, from 2019-2021, these cases continue to rise. In 2019, there were 11.057 cases, in 2020, 11.278 cases, and in 2021, 14.517 cases were reported.
Data from the South Sulawesi Women and Child Protection Integrated Service Center (P2TP2A) shows that the number of cases in 2019 was 1.964 cases, while in 2020 there were 1.996 cases.
South Sulawesi Women and Child Protection Technical Acting Unit (UPT PPA) Head Meisy Papayungan noted that, from January-February 2022, there have been 40 domestic violence cases handled by the South Sulawesi Women Empowerment and Child Protection Office.
"Violence against women and children do not only occur due to economic troubles. Even rich, educated people can still be violent against their family members," she said.
Meanwhile, Makassar Women and Child Protection Regional Technical Acting Unit (UPTD PPA) received 1.551 case reports throughout 2021.
From this figure, 774 cases, or 49 percent of them, include sexual harassment against children.
"We expect that law enforcement would deliver severe punishments, such as chemical castration, to the perpetrators, so that they will not repeat this behavior," Makassar UPTD PPA Head Achi Soleman remarked.
There were 380 cases of violence against women throughout 2021, followed by 184 domestic violence cases, 98 cases of children in conflict with the law, and 22 cases of narcotics and other addictive substance victims.
In addition, there were 76 cases of children with intellectual disabilities, 15 cases of children in emergency situations, and two cases involving people with disabilities, Soleman said.
The hope for legal assurance
A domestic violence victim with the initial M, reported on the violence that she experience since January 2022.
However, there have not been any new developments concerning her case, which is currently being handled by the Makassar police.
Even when she was in a safe house, she was pressured because she was intimidated by her husband, who is a lecturer in a private university in Makassar, by causing a disturbance at the safe house.
She expects to receive justice and legal protection soon.
A similar wish was also expressed by a mother of sexual violence victim with the initial W, who reported her child sodomy case committed by a perpetrator with the initial MR (45) on January 28, 2022.
Thus far, there have not been any news about the handling of her child's case. The perpetrator still roams free, despite that he is included on the Most-Wanted List (DPO).
She also hopes that the police capture the perpetrator.
Makassar Police Official Muhammad Rivai noted that his group continues to handle a number of cases of violence against women and children, even though they are still in the investigation stage.
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Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2022
