Maidian Reviani – The national director of the Service Provider Forum (FPL) for female victims of violence, Yustina Fendrita, says that civil society groups have launched a movement to send flowers to the House of Representatives (DPR) Commission VIII.
The send flowers movement has been launched to awaken the feeling of the DPR’s Commission VIII and the working committee (panja) to quickly finish deliberating the Draft Law on the Elimination of Sexual Violence (RUU PKS).
“There are several flower arrangements from several concerned groups, victims groups, women’s groups and so on. The flower arrangements are a symbol of hope from victims [of sexual violence] that the RUU will be quickly deliberated. Because several times already concerned groups and victims have met with the [political party] factions and the panja but there has been no meaningful progress”, said Fendrita when sought for confirmation by Akurat.co on Friday September 6.
Furthermore, said Fendrita, the send flowers movement will continue until the RUU PKS is ratified. “It’s likely it will grow. Because its character is open so anyone can join in and send flower arrangements”, she said.
Commission VIII Deputy Chairperson and RUU PKS working committee member Iskan Qolba Lubis has said that the commission is currently attempting to synchronise the RUU PKS with the Draft Criminal Code (RKUHP) which is also planned to be finished before the DPR’s current period ends in October.
According to Lubis, the RUU PKS is a lex specialis (special) law which must be in accordance with the principle law, namely the RKHUP. So it cannot be allowed to conflict or overlap. “For example if it’s not in the principle law, only then will we augment it”, Lubis told Akurat.co on Wednesday September 4.
In addition to this, Lubis said the aim of synchronising the RUU PKS with the RKHUP is so it does not create confusion on the part of law enforcement officials when they are applying the law against perpetrators of sexual violence.
“For example which one should be applied. Here (in the RKUHP) there is a crime, there (in the RUU PKS) there is a crime. So they’ll be harmonized, synchronised, with the RUU KUHP which is currently being deliberated, which according to the Commission III chairperson will be completed in this period”, he said.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was “Minta RUU PKS Segera Disahkan, Masyarakat Sipil Buat Gerakan Kirim Bunga di DPR”.]
