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House expects July passage as lawmakers endorse sexual violence bill
Activists welcomed the House of Representatives' decision to endorse the sexual violence bill after years of it languishing in negotiations and amid rampant sexual assault in the country.
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Activists from various women’s organizations unfurl a banner during a rally in Palu, Central Sulawesi, on Dec. 10, 2021 to commemorate International Human Rights Day and demand the passage of the sexual violence bill. (Antara/Basri Marzuki)
T
he House of Representatives has set a July target for the passage of the long-delayed sexual violence bill to ensure that it is deliberated properly, after a clear majority of lawmaker factions agreed to endorse the bill for passage amid recent revelations of violence against women.
The draft legislation has languished at the House for nearly a decade, but it had grown in importance after a recent string of sexual violence cases captured public attention, and despite strong opposition from Islam-based political parties, which feared the law would be pro-adultery and in support of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.
However, House lawmakers took a first big step on Tuesday by agreeing to find common ground to endorse the bill, setting the stage for earnest talks with the government on how to provide legal protection to victims of sexual violence.
During a plenary meeting on Tuesday, eight out of the nine political party factions at the House voted to endorse the bill. Only the conservative Islam-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) rejected the motion, arguing that the bill should include restrictions on adultery and what members of the party consider to be sexual deviations as espoused by the LGBT community.
Luluk Nur Hamidah, a House lawmaker representing the National Awakening Party (PKB), said that the decision to approve the bill brings the country one step closer to providing legal protection to victims of sexual violence and acknowledging it as a crime punishable by law.
But she also suggested that deliberations at the House could take months to conclude, and that the draft legislation might be passed into law over two legislative sessions.
“It is a bit difficult [to pass the bill] in one sitting period, because we don’t want it to just be pushed through while neglecting its quality. [It might be done] in two sessions, around July,” Luluk told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
