Nur Azizah Rizki Astuti, Jakarta – The National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) is urging the House of Representatives (DPR) to immediately ratify the Draft Law on the Elimination of Sexual Violence (RUU-PKS).
Komnas Perempuan compared the delays in ratifying the law to the speed at which the process of revising the Corruption Eradication Commission Law (UU KPK) has proceeded at the DPR.
"There are two things which have attracted our attention over the last week, where the revisions to the UU KPK, which is not part of the Prolegnas 2014-2019 or 2019 National Priority Legislation Program, suddenly emerged as a RUU [Draft Law] to be deliberated. And this is given that in only 20 more days the period for the current DPR members will end", said Komnas Perempuan Chairperson Azriana R Manalu at a discussion titled "Democracy on the Horns of a Dilemma" in the Wahid Hasyim area of Central Jakarta on Sunday September 15.
"Meanwhile the RUU on the Elimination of Sexual Violence, which has been included in the Prolegnas since 2016, still hasn't been finished to this day. The deliberations, as you know, have been continuously put off for various reasons, right", she said.
According to Manalu, while the DPR has been putting off deliberating the RUU-PKS, the victims of sexual violence continue to fall. Manalu believes that cases of sexual violence only get the government's attention when they go viral on social media.
"And we have also seen how [the government] responds to cases of sexual violence. They only get the attention of the state, the attention of the legislative and the government when cases go viral. The victim's name gets spread all over social media, everyone fights over who's going to appear on stage as the hero. But after it's not viral anymore, there's no more talk about the victim", she said.
Manalu said that Indonesia has already been declared as being under a state of sexual violence emergency since 2014. But, she said, it is not enough to resolve cases of sexual violence by punishing the perpetrators with chemical castration.
"Indonesia has declared as being in a state of sexual violence emergency since 2014, but it isn't enough if the response to this sexual violence emergency is just enforcing punishments of [chemical] castration for the perpetrators of child rape. The use of the punishment of castration shows us just how limited policy maker's knowledge is about the problem of sexual violence", said Manalu.
Looking at the urgency of the issue, Manalu is asking the government and the DPR to immediate ratify the RUU-PKS and for the enactment of the Draft Criminal Code (RKHUP) to be postponed because it still contains many problematic articles.
"And we still have time. So I want to convey our sense of urgency, aside from asking that the RKUHP be postponed because there are still a number of problems with it, we must also ask the government and the DPR to immediately ratify the RUU on the Elimination of Sexual Violence to protect the victims as well as members of the community who could potentially become victims of sexual violence. There are still seven more days [sic] before (the DPR) ends its current term. Come on, let us call for a postponement of the ratification of the RKUHP and the enactment of the RUU on the Elimination of Sexual Violence", she said in conclusion. (azr/imk)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Komnas Perempuan Bandingkan Kecepatan Pembahasan Revisi UU KPK dan RUU P-KS".]