Jakarta – The number of reported domestic violence cases in Indonesia shows no signs of decreasing, despite the implementation of the 2004 Law on the Elimination of Domestic Violence, rights activists said recently.

Research conducted by Unicef and The Body Shop International revealed 16,721 cases of domestic violence, some 82 percent of all violence cases reported in Indonesia in 2005.

The Communications and Information Ministry recently reported that the number increased to 22,000 cases, from mid 2006 to mid 2007.

The Women's Legal Aid Foundation (LBH APIK) said that victims experienced physical, psychological or sexual abuse, or a combination of the three.

The increase may have been caused by more occurrences of violence, or a greater awareness of rights among women.

"The number of physical and non-physical abuse cases has continued to increase. It's as if the government is allowing this to happen," external relations director of Imparsial Human Rights Monitor, Poengky Indarti, said.

Poengky is not alone in questioning the government's seriousness in dealing with the issue.

Taufik Basari, head of the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute said, "With the implementation of the domestic violence law, we should have seen a decrease in the number occurrences." "But this has not happened. We need to reevaluate, to figure out what is at the core of the problem."

The law stipulates that the government must ensure the prevention and elimination of all forms of domestic violence as well as the protection of victims.

Taufik said the government has recently made efforts to deal with violence in the home but these efforts have not fully served their purpose.

"The police have established special units to deal with domestic violence at some police stations. They are led by professionals who know what they are doing," he said.

Women experiencing abuse at home can go to the nearest police provincial headquarters or regional police precincts for counseling, and to report their cases. The counseling facilities have been made available with assistance from non-governmental organizations.

Taufik added that the government needed to complement the law – which provides severe punishments for people found guilty of domestic violence – by building community awareness and informing the public of complaint procedures.

"The law alone is never enough. Most domestic violence cases take place in low income, poorly educated families," he said.

The government should encourage the community to empower themselves by establishing an independent prevention network, he said.