12 April 2022: Indonesia has passed the sexual violence bill into law a decade after it was first proposed. The final draft of the law criminalises physical sexual abuse, both in marriage and outside, sexual exploitation, forced marriage, including child marriage, and circulating non-consensual sexual content, amongst others. It also stipulates that a court must compel convicted abusers to pay restitution and authorities to provide counselling to victims.

Perkumpulan Keluarga Berencana Indonesia (PKBI) (also known as the Indonesian Planned Parenthood Association (IPPA)), IPPF member in Indonesia, has been actively advocating for this bill since 2017 and has been part of the formal drafting of the bill in the past two (2) years.

Eko Maryadi, PKBI’s Executive Director offered these words, “Congratulations to the PKBI Advocacy Team who consistently guarded the draft Bill until it became the Criminal Acts of Sexual Violence Law. The struggle is not over. We still must oversee the operationalisation of the law, and our advocacy and the fight against sexual violence will not stop until it does.”

“We welcome the passing of the sexual violence bill in Indonesia and congratulate PKBI, Komnas Perempuan and countless activists and advocates in Indonesia for your tireless fight to ensure all people are safe from sexual and gender-based violence, and survivors have access to justice and support. This is a great win for the sexual and reproductive rights of all Indonesians, especially women and girls”, said Tomoko Fukuda, IPPF ESEAOR Regional Director.