Deputy V of the Presidential Staff Office (KSP), Jaleswari Pramodhawardani, accentuated that ratification of the sexual violence prevention bill (RUU TPKS) is crucial for providing protection to victims and achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs).
“The ratification of RUU TPKS is essential, not only to provide adequate protection to sexual violence victims but also to fulfill the SDGs,” Pramodhawardani stated at a press conference here, Thursday.
The deputy V of KSP noted that First Lady Iriana Joko Widodo, during her visit to the Great Hall of Social Welfare Education and Training (BBPPKS) in West Bandung, West Java, had called for meting out severe punishment to the perpetrators of sexual violence.
Pramodhawardani assessed that the First Lady’s statement was in accordance with the government’s commitment to ensuring protection for its citizens from the threat of sexual violence.
The National Commission on Anti-Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan) noted that 25 percent of Indonesian women experienced sexual violence, with at least 35 women becoming victims on a daily basis.
Based on the commission’s records, in the past decade, over 49 thousand women experienced sexual violence in the country.
In addition, based on data from the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection (KPPPA), cases of violence against children have been increasing.
As many as 11,057 cases were recorded in 2019, 11,279 cases in 2020, and 12,566 cases in 2021 as of November. Most cases were in the form of sexual violence, reaching 45 percent; followed by psychological violence, 19 percent; and physical violence, 18 percent.
“This is why an adequate legal mechanism and instrument are needed,” she emphasized.
The deputy affirmed that in 2021, the government remains committed to supporting the ratification of the sexual violence bill through the establishment of the sexual violence prevention task force.
Pramodhawardani stressed that all parties are looking forward to the ratification of the bill, which can serve as a more robust and comprehensive legal instrument for preventing sexual violence and regulating legal sanctions to be imposed on the perpetrators.
Moreover, the deputy noted that the elimination of all forms of violence against women, including sexual violence, is also part of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that Indonesia, along with 192 other countries, aim to achieve by 2030.
Source: Antara News