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Indonesia pardons woman jailed after reporting sexual harassment

Source
Reuters - July 25, 2019

Indonesia's Parliament has approved an amnesty for a woman who was jailed after recording lewd phone calls from her boss.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo granted amnesty to Baiq Nuril Maknun after she had exhausted all other legal avenues in the controversial case.

The case has caused outrage and led to warnings that it could discourage victims of sexual abuse from speaking out.

Parliament's approval was met by loud applause as the tearful mother of three, who was in the chamber, covered her face with her hands before kissing the ground.

MP Erma Suryani Ranik read a statement confirming the decision and said in this case "Baiq Nuril was the real victim, instead of the perpetrator".

Ms Nuril, who had been working at a school on the island of Lombok, recorded some parts of lewd telephone calls from the school's principal without his knowledge in 2012 after complaining of sexual harassment.

She then gave a recording to a third person, who distributed it on an electronic device, which resulted in the principal losing his job, court documents showed.

In 2015, the principal reported Ms Nuril to police, which resulted in her being prosecuted under laws targeting the electronic distribution of pornographic material.

Although the case was dismissed by a lower court, prosecutors took it to the Supreme Court and Ms Nuril was jailed for six months and given a 500 million rupiah ($51,660) fine.

Sri Nurherwati, from the National Commission on Violence Against Women, said while the amnesty may have lifted Ms Nuril's punishment, it would do little to tackle the issue of sexual harassment in Indonesia.

There have been a number of high-profile cases in Indonesia in recent years that activists said show victims being penalised for speaking out about harassment.

Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim-majority country and is predominantly conservative.

Women looking to become police officers in Indonesia are reported to have to undergo an invasive "two-finger" virginity test and be "pretty" as a part of the recruitment process.

While some women have recounted experiences of sexual harassment as part of the #MeToo movement, in general, women are less likely to speak out about abuse compared with women in some other countries, activists said.

Kartika Jahja, an outspoken artist and rape survivor who has been a strong advocate for gender equality in Indonesia, said women face different risks in the country when speaking out about anything sexual.

She added that, whether it is sexual violence or being sexually expressive, the norms in the country could punish women.

In an interview ahead of the decision, Ms Nuril said if granted an amnesty she intended to take an Umrah Islamic pilgrimage and spend more time with her family after the lengthy legal fight.

"If [women] suffer from something as I did, please don't be afraid to speak up," Ms Nuril said.

Source: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-07-25/indonesia-pardons-woman-jailed-after-reporting-harassment/11347128

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