Indonesia’s House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a long-awaited sexual violence bill, languishing in the country for nearly a decade.
The bill, initially proposed in 2012, aims to provide distinct legal framework that acknowledges sexual violence as a criminal act punishable by law and give protection to victims.
The house approved the bill after majority of lawmakers backed it.
The House Speaker, Puan Maharani, who chaired the plenary session to ratify the bill said “the ratification of the sexual violence bill into law is a gift for Indonesian women.”
Lawmaker Willy Aditya, who led a special team that deliberated on the bill, said that “with the new law, authorities can take immediate action on reported cases of sexual harassment based on a single piece of evidence, which has been down from the current requirement of three.
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“This is the proof of our country to give justice and protection to victims of sexual abuse cases which we see as an iceberg phenomenon,” he said.
