T

he National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) will begin a 16-day campaign against gender-based violence on Friday with a call on lawmakers to speed up deliberations on a sexual violence bill.

The United Nations initiated the campaign, which will commence on International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and run until Dec. 10, Human Rights Day, to end gender-based violence.

For its part, Komnas Perempuan, represented by 150 activists, will visit several cities across the country.

Komnas Perempuan received 321,752 reports of violence against women last year, a 40 percent increase from the previous year when it received 232,220 reports.

Data for 2016 is not yet available, but recent cases from various parts of the country indicate the figure will be the same as last year, Komnas Perempuan deputy chairman Yuniyanti Chuzaifah said.

One of the cases that garnered national attention emerged in August, when three civil servants allegedly committed sexual battery against a 17-year-old female intern at the Central Jakarta mayor’s office. She was then allegedly raped by one of the civil servants.

In another case in early April, Yuyun, a junior high school student from the remote area of Rejang Lebong in Bengkulu, Sumatra, was tied up and brutally raped by 14 men until she died.

Yuniyanti acknowledged that a lack of strong legislation had contributed to gender-based violence, pointing out the House of Representatives’ decision to stall deliberation on the sexual violence bill.

“The House needs to immediately deliberate the sexual violence bill and establish a special committee for the task. Therefore, the bill can be deliberated early next year,” she said at the commission in Menteng, Jakarta, on Thursday.

Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation of Indonesian Women’s Association for Justice (LBH APIK Jakarta) member Ahmad Luthfi Firdaus added that special legislation on sexual violence had to be enacted soon, as the Criminal Code (KUHP) defined sexual violence merely as rape.

“The Criminal Code stipulates that sexual violence only happens when there is intercourse. In fact, there are many other types of it,” he said.

Golkar Party lawmaker Firman Subagyo said it would take time to deliberate the sexual violence bill, as it had to be synchronized with the 2016 Child Protection Law, which imposes harsh punishments on sexual predators. (adt)