President Joko Widodo’s directives to expedite ratification of the sexual violence prevention bill (RUU TPKS) demonstrated the government’s commitment to encouraging passage of the bill, the Presidential Staff Office (KSP) stated.

“The president’s special attention to the TPKS bill is not without reason, which is by looking at the increasingly rampant sexual violence cases in Indonesia that should be addressed on an urgent basis,” Deputy V of the Presidential Staff Office (KSP), Jaleswari Pramodhawardani, stated here on Wednesday.

Pramodhawardani affirmed that the TPKS bill should offer complete legal protection to victims of sexual violence.

As a concrete step, the president has called on the Ministry of Law and Human Rights as well as the Ministry of Women Empowerment and Child Protection to immediately consult with the House of Representatives (DPR RI) for requisite measures to accelerate the ratification of the bill, she highlighted.

Concurrently, the president also gave directives to the Government Task Force to immediately start preparing for the initial review of the Inventory of Problem List (DIM) of the RUU TPKS drafted by the House.

Furthermore, the Presidential Staff Office is tasked with managing the national priority programs and strategic issues. To this end, it is involved in the Government Task Force that handles the TPKS bill viewed as being a strategic legal product.

During the process, the Government Task Force has supervised the TPKS bill with optimal intensity and capacity from all relevant ministries and institutions. This task force has also involved civil society organizations engaged in women’s protection and empowerment issues to gain a holistic perspective.

“The urgency of passing the TPKS bill is no longer debatable. The president’s directives are very clear and need to be followed up by all stakeholders by excluding political and sectoral egos,” she emphasized.

Source: Antara News