Anggi Muliawati, Jakarta – Protesters calling themselves the Women's Organisation held a rally at the Horse Statue in Central Jakarta commemorating International Women's Day (IWD) 2022 on March 8 in which they demanded the immediate enactment of the Draft Law on Sexual Violence Crimes (RUU TPKS).
The protesters, who could be seen wearing white clothing, also demanded that the deliberations on the RUU TPKS at the House of Representatives (DPR) be open to public participation and support the protection of victims of sexual violence.
"In commemorating International Women's Day, we demand that the state take responsibility. The government and the DPR must put an end to all policies which conflict with the scheme of social protection and ensure that everyone is protected from poverty", said action public relations officer Mutiara Ika on Tuesday.
Ika said that violence against women has not declined and that there has in fact been a rise in the number of cases of violence against women each year.
"According to Komnas Perempuan's [the National Commission on Violence Against Women] records on cases of gender based violence against women, in 2022 there has been a 50 percent increase [in the number of cases] compared with the previous year", she said.
Ika said that the majority of perpetrators of violence against women are people close to them, yet it is often hoped that these are the people who should act as protectors and models for preventing violence from happening.
"The perpetrators of violence are still the people closest [to the victims] and those who it would be hoped are protectors, examples, models", she said. (haf/haf)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Demo Hari Perempuan Sedunia, Massa Aksi Tuntut RUU TPKS Segera Disahkan".]
