Erwida Maulia – A proposed law regulating the length of women's skirts was blasted by the head of the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) on Wednesday.

Masruchah, deputy chairwoman of Komnas Perempuan, said the government should not tell women how to dress. "There are already norms and ethics in each different community; people already know what they should wear where and when. The government must respect the diversity of our cultures and religions," Masruchah said.

The proposal, the latest in a series of controversial moves by government officials meant to regulate sex and morality in Indonesia, was brought up by Religious Affairs Minister and anti-porn task force head Suryadharma Ali during a meeting with lawmakers in Jakarta on Wednesday.

"We think that there should be general criteria [on how women should dress], for example women's skirts should pass their knees," Suryadharma said.

Masruchah called the proposed legislation a violation of women's rights, adding that sexual harassment has nothing to do with the availability of pornography or how a woman dresses.

"Data on rapes show that they don't correlate with how the women dresses," she said. "Many women [who were] raped happened to wear very concealing clothing. They were raped anyway. It's in the mindset of the men," she added.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono named Suryadharma as the head of Indonesia's first anti-pornography task force on March 2. The organization has been tasked with enforcing the nation's controversial 2008 banning pornography.