Marguerite Afra Sapiie, Jakarta – The government encouraged an unprecedented attack against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in early 2016, violating the minority group's security and rights, a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report released Thursday has said.
The report documented a series of anti-LGBT remarks and discriminatory actions by government officials that began mid-January, which is believed to have allowed intolerant groups to conduct harassment and violence toward LGBT people without any consequences.
"What really disturbing is [the statements] came from politicians, government officials, and public leaders who should not have said these things in public," said HRW researcher Kyle Knight on Thursday in Jakarta.
Through 70 interviews with LGBT minorities and activists in five different locations in the country, Knight found the government's discriminative campaign had badly affected the minority group's daily lives.
In the report, an anonymous 25-year-old gay person in South Sulawesi province said he did not feel safe every time he saw an "end-LGBT" statement on social media.
The situation worsened since President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo had mostly remained silent and did not stand up to protect the minority, Knight said, while in-fact, Jokowi and his Cabinet's leadership was much needed to resolve the issue. (ags)