“The issuance of a Perppu is regulated by existing rules. The Perppu on sexual violence against children doesn’t cover the overall problem comprehensively; but, the Perppu will hopefully give lessons to the perpetrators [of sex crimes],” said the House of Representatives’ Legislation Body (Baleg) deputy chairman Totok Daryanto. The National Mandate Party lawmaker was speaking after the body’s plenary meeting at the House complex in Jakarta on Wednesday.

The House has not yet deliberated the draft sexual violence bill and is still discussing the inclusion of the bill in the 2016 priority national legislation program (Prolegnas).

The body aims to include the draft law as one of the extra priority bills in the 2016 Prolegnas, aside from 40 priority bills the House must complete this year.

Due to its urgency, Totok said, the bill should also see progress in its discussion at a commission or a working unit, which was assigned by the House to handle the draft law, during the current sitting session, which will end on July 28.

The discussion of the sexual violence bill comes in the wake of a brutal gang rape and murder of YY, a 14-year-old schoolgirl, in Bengkulu last month. Rights activists called on the government to immediately pass the sexual violence bill into law following the incident.

Totok said the sexual violence bill could become guidance for all parties to eradicate sex crimes.

Baleg deputy chairman Firman Subagyo said both the sexual violence bill and the Perppu No.1 were legally binding. The Golkar Party faction member agreed that both the draft law and the Perppu should run together. (ebf)

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