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Calls grow for fairer system for victims of violence against women
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Campaigners hold signs calling for an end to gender-based violence as part of a 16-day campaign in opposition to violence against women in Denpasar, Bali, on Oct. 27, 2023. (Antara/Nyoman Hendra Wibowo)
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s reported incidents of violence against women in the country rise yearly, activists are pushing for a justice system that properly considers victim’s rights, as thousands of gender-based violence cases sit stalled in the investigation stage.
According to an annual report by the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) published in March of this year, reports of violence against women in the country increased from 7,029 cases in 2021 to 9,806 last year. These reports were received by the police, hospitals, legal aid foundations and civil society organizations.
Of the total reports, only 372 cases had led to prosecution, and nearly 2,000 cases were still under investigation.
Komnas Perempuan argued that several problems impeded justice in cases of gender-based violence.
Among the challenges were instances of victims withdrawing their cases under pressure, unofficial or customary marriages that were not recognized by the state and a lack of evidence in some cases.
“The Domestic Violence Prevention Law stipulates that the victim can act as witness and they can be backed by other evidence [such as legal medical reports],” Komnas Perempuan commissioner Siti Aminah Tardi. “But [police officers and prosecutors] still always ask the victim if there are other witnesses.”
Khotimun Sutanti of the Legal Aid Foundation of the Indonesian Women’s Association for Justice (LBH APIK) said many cases remained stuck in the investigation stage because of the difficulty of gathering sufficient evidence and the fact that the onus to do so was often placed on the victims.
