On Tuesday July 7, the Women’s Anti-Violence Movement (Gerak Perempuan), which is an alliance of dozens of organisations and individuals, held a protest action in front of the House of Representatives (DPR) building in Jakarta.

The organisations that make up Gerak Perempuan include the Indonesian Independent Journalists Association (AJI), Kartini Indonesian Women’s Action (API Kartini), the University of Indonesia Student Executive Council (BEM UI), the University of Indonesia Law Faculty BEM, the Jentera School of Law BEM, the Grace Community Church (GKA), the International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development (INFID), the Confederation of United Indonesian Workers (KPBI), the Cross-Factory Labour Federation (FBLP), the National Trade Union Confederation (KSN) and the Indonesian Trade Union Congress Alliance Confederation (KASBI).

The action, which started at 3 pm, was joined by dozens of people. The protesters brought posters with their demands and applied health protocols by maintaining social distancing and wearing masks.

The group plans to continue holding Tuesday Actions (Aksi Selasaan) in front of the DPR on Tuesday each week until the Draft Law on the Elimination of Sexual Violence (RUU PKS) is ratified.

During the first action today, an open letter was sent to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and DPR Speaker Puan Maharani urging the DPR to restart deliberations on the RUU PKS and enact the law as soon as possible.

In a statement, Gerak Perempuan made the following demands:

1. That the DPR revoke the decision to remove the RUU PKS from the 2020 Priority National Legislation Program (Prolegnas) and immediately restart deliberations on the law.

2. That the DPR not use the corona virus pandemic as a pretext to nullify data which proves the urgency of the RUU PKS for all Indonesian citizens.

3. That all government officials and related institutions such as the Ministry for the Empowerment of Women and Protection of Children and the National Commission on Violence Against Women pressure the DPR to enact the RUU PKS.

4. That the DPR pursue its mandate to enact legislation which protects the ordinary people and to prioritise the RUU PKS, not legislation which benefits investors such as the Draft Omnibus Law on Job Creation.

Gerak Perempuan also called those in wider society who are against sexual violence and support the enactment of the RUU PKS to stand in solidarity with them by:

1. Monitoring the deliberations of the RUU PKS by holding actions every Tuesday between 3-4.30 pm in front of the DPR or their local Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) until the RUU PKS is passed into law.

2. Establish collectives to strengthen, advance and embolden the fight for civil rights, particularly the rights of victims of sexual violence, including establishing collective referral systems for victims of sexual violence wherever they may be. (hr)

-- Arah Juang (Direction of Struggle) is the official newspaper of the Socialist Union (PS)

[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was “Aksi Selasaan Untuk Mendorong Pengesahan RUU PKS”.]

Source: https://www.arahjuang.com/2020/07/14/aksi-selasa-an-untuk-mendorong-pengesahan-ruu-pks/