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lawmaker from the United Development Party (PPP) has been reported to the House of Representatives'€™ ethics council (MKD) following reports of alleged assault.

Civil society group the Women and Children'€™s Protection Agency (EL-PAPI) filed a report with the ethics council on Friday against PPP politician Fanny Safriansyah for allegedly abusing his child'€™s nanny, 20-year-old Toipah.

'€œWe'€™ve come here out of a gesture of our concern. The one reported is not merely a member of the wider public; he is a legislator. As a civil society organization, we are trying to protect our female workers,'€ EL-PAPI deputy secretary Dwi Nurdiansyah told reporters after filing the report on Friday.

'€œA member of the House should have integrity and abide by a code of ethics,'€ he added.

Fanny, who is more widely known as Ivan Haz, is a member of House Commission IV overseeing agriculture, forestry, fisheries and the environment, as well as the son of former vice president Hamza Haz.

According to the EL-PAPI report, Fanny will face disciplinary sanctions if he is found guilty of breaching Article 3 paragraphs 1, 2 and 4 of the House Regulation on ethics. Dwi said the civil society group hoped that the council would punish Fanny with the heaviest punishment possible.

Dwi said that EL-PAPI would be monitoring the outcome of the report filed by Toipah to the Jakarta Police. He said the aim of filing the report with the MKD was to emphasize Fanny'€™s role as a member of the legislative body.

'€œThis is more of a problem for the constituency. No one should be able to assume that they have the right to do anything to someone just because they are paying that someone a wage,'€ he said. '€œDon'€™t allow this to become a bad precedent for [the future].'€

On Sept. 30, Toipah reported Fanny and his wife Amna Susilowati to the Jakarta Police for abuse.

Toipah claimed that her employers physically abused her, causing a gash on her head and bruises on her back. Her ear was also so injured and swollen that it needed stitches, she alleges.

In addition, Toipah told police that the alleged abusers gave her only one meal per day and had not paid her salary of Rp 2.2 million (US$164) for two months. They also kept the cell phones and ID cards away from her and two other maids, preventing them from communicating with others.

Fanny denied the accusations, alleging that Topiah was careless and had placed his child in danger, causing frequent distress to his wife. He added that Toipah, in apparent fear of Amna, had tried to escape by climbing a fence, but had fallen and injured herself.

Fanny maintained his innocence again on Friday. '€œI have never committed abuse; as mad as I would get, it would never get out of hand. But arguments are normal,'€ he said. (agn)