Triono Wahyu Sudibyo, Semarang – Scores of activists from the Cental Java Network for the Protection of Women and Children (JPPA) demonstrated against the Draft Anti-Pornography law in the Central Java provincial capital of Semarang on Monday September 22 demanding that the draft law be cancelled.

The action, which started at the Semarang fountain roundabout on Jl. Pahlawan, was followed by a long-march to the Semarang Radio Republic Indonesia building on Jl. Ahmad Yani, some two kilometres away.

In addition to giving speeches, protesters also held a theatrical action criticising the draft law as an obstacle to the women’s movement because under the proposed law, any movement or bodily posture by a woman can be interpreted as a pornographic act.

“Oh that’s pornography. That’s pornography. Not allowed, not allowed!”, shouted the demonstrators after looking at the body movements of other participants that were actually quite ordinary.

Action coordinator Irene (27) said that the draft anti-pornography law represents a means of state control over an individual’s privacy and a threat to women. And of course, this is not good for women. “Who knows, women dancing or involved in art could be categorised as pornographic and could be put in jail”, she said.

Irene is calling on the government not to complete the deliberation of and the ratification of the special law regulating pornography and pornographic acts. The reason being that the regulation is dangerous because it is open to multiple interpretations. (try/djo)

[Translated by James Balowski.]