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f you are a woman residing in Sumedang, West Java, going out alone at night may now pose problems. The city has issued a regional bylaw stipulating that anyone with an “eye-catching appearance”, one that could encourage others to engage in sexual behavior, shall be punished.

The Sumedang bylaw is one of the many sexist and discriminatory regulations in place in the country, the number of which, according to the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan), continues to rise.

In a report released on Thursday, the commission says it recorded 33 discriminatory regulations in the form of circulars, regency instructions, bylaws and regulations in lieu of law from September last year to August 2016.

“The number of discriminatory policies against women and minorities stood at 422 this year, up from 389 last year,” commissioner Kariroh Ali told reporters in Jakarta.

Many types of discriminatory regulations are related to the issue of public order. The wording of these regulations are often ambiguous and can easily be abused.

“Government officials can interpret the regulations according to their own definitions and wishes because the wording often carries multiple interpretations,” Kariroh said.

She said the Sumedang bylaw was a perfect example of how ambiguous wording in legislation could lead to discrimination.

“The meaning of ‘eye-catching appearance’ can mean different things from one person to another.”

Another discriminatory policy involves a 2016 regency instruction issued by officials at Bierun regency in Aceh, North Sumatra. The instruction prohibits transgender people from working at hair salons.

In Padang Pariaman, the regent issued a regulation banning singers from accepting an offer to sing after 4 p.m. This regulation damages people’s right to work.

“These kinds of policies ignore people’s constitutional rights,” Komnas Perempuan chairperson Azriana said.

Most of the discriminatory policies are enacted in Muslim-majority cities because many regional heads believe that they have a duty to ensure that their people do not engage in acts considered immoral in Islam, Azriana said.

“The government has to realize that its responsibility is not only to people of the same religion, but also to people of different religions,” she added.

Since 2009, Komnas Perempuan has recorded 422 discriminatory policies across 34 provinces.

The province with the highest number of discriminatory policies is West Java, with 97 policies. West Java is followed by West Sumatra with 49 policies, East Java with 34 policies and South Kalimantan with 26 policies.

The commission deplored the fact that of the 3,134 bylaws canceled by the Home Ministry in June 2016, none of them were related to discriminatory polices. “All of them are related to investment and licensing,” Azriana said.

The commission recommends that the government, especially the Home Ministry, cancel all discriminatory regulations related to women, religions and gender to ensure people’s constitutional rights are protected. (win)