Margareth S.

Indonesia is struggling to curb its increasing culture of sexual abuse as gang rape cases almost double in a year and child abuse is on the rise, a report says.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura, Papua – All people must be free from violence because any violence, including gender-based violence, can weaken security, undermine dignity, slow down economic develop

Jakarta – As concerns over persisting violence against women are reemerging, hundreds marched through the streets of Jakarta on Saturday (04/03) to demand an end to gender-based violence and the ab

Marguerite Afra Sapiie, Jakarta – The UN has encouraged the Surakarta administration to strengthen its commitment to protecting children by allocating more funds for children's programs.

Paulina Quintao – A new report shows that most midwives in Timor-Leste still have little knowledge about the country's domestic violence law.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – The number of cases of violence against women increased in 2016, according to the annual report of the National Commission on Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan)

Jayapura, Jubi – In addition to the issue of freedom of the press is still cause for concern in Papua, Papuan women journalists face other problems that are not less alarming.

Fachrul Sidiq, Jakarta – The government needs to re-evaluate the possible use of chemical castration on those who commit sex crimes against children, as regulated in the newly passed 2016 Child Pro

Palu – The number of cases of violence against women and children in Central Sulawesi this year had reached 305 as of October, already more than double the 117 recorded in 2015, according to the Ce

Bambang Muryanto, Yogyakarta – Domestic violence remains rampant in rural Java, with one in two women in Bantul regency, Yogyakarta, suffering emotional, physical or sexual abuse from their partner

A woman from East Timor spoke out about her experience of being forced to serve as a "comfort woman" by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II, as she visited Japan for the first time earli

Jakarta – The National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) will begin a 16-day campaign against gender-based violence on Friday with a call on lawmakers to speed up deliberation

Jakarta – The National Commission on Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan) is calling on the House of Representatives to immediately deliberate a sexual violence bill and pass it into a law.

Dili – Today, thirteen influential leaders, including from government, institutions, and civil society, signed a Charter declaring their commitment to preventing violence against women and children

Liza Yosephine, Jakarta – The promotion of child protection in the country has been facing hurdles thanks to the lack of coordination across various government institutions responsible for the issu

Paulina Quintao – The Ministry of Health in collaboration with international agencies is developing guidelines for health personnel to help provide better assistance to victims of gender-based viol

Samantha Hawley, Indonesia – In Indonesia, one Australian takes it on herself to begin counting the number of women violently killed by their husbands and partners across the archipelago each year.

Jakarta – Amnesty International calls for the Indonesian government to revoke provisions of chemical castration and the death penalty as punishment for sex offenders following the recent endorsemen

Marguerite Afra Sapiie, Jakarta – Jakarta-based Human Rights Working Group (HRWG) has deplored the passage law (Perppu) on child protection into law by the House of Representatives that stipulates

Indonesia's authorities must immediately repeal provisions that allow sex offenders to be punished by forced chemical castration and even the death penalty, Amnesty International said today.

Marguerite Afra Sapiie, Jakarta – Despite the outcry from rights activists, the House of Representatives has passed a regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) on child protection that allows for sex offe

Jakarta – The police have arrested a Muslim cleric, identified as Ahmad "Aman" Suryadi, 29, for allegedly sexually assaulting several students in the Yayasan Titipan Ilahi Muslim boarding school in

Lita Aruperes, Manado – Reports of sexual violence cases in North Sulawesi has increased from 199 for the whole of 2015 to 261 cases from only January until September this year, data from a NGO sho

Jakarta – Rizky Azmi, 24, was publicly humiliated recently after allegedly being caught sexually assaulting a female passenger on a commuter line (KRL) train traveling from Duri Station, West Jakar

Jakarta – The discovery of an online prostitution ring involving nearly 150 boys in Bogor, West Java, has raised concerns over the growing threat facing Indonesian children in the age of social med

Marguerite Afra Sapiie, Jakarta – The House of Representatives postponed the passage of regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) No.

Anton Hermansyah, Jakarta – As a result of an increase in rape cases, the government has opened a 24-hour call center to receive reports of rape.

Agnes Anya, Jakarta – The National Commission for Child Protection (Komnas PA) has urged the police not to issue investigation termination warrants (SP3) in the alleged sexual assault of an intern

Evi Mariani, Jakarta – The Jakarta Police have made the details of the investigation into the rape allegation from an intern at the Central Jakarta municipality office public.

Paulina Quintao – Increased reporting of domestic violence cases and the establishment of more shelters are the two major achievements during the implementation of the national action plan on gende

The government's response in the wake of a spate of rape and murder of young women and children this year has been widely welcomed by the public in general, but concerns remain about th

Panca Nugraha and Suherdjoko, Mataram/Semarang – Indonesia on Saturday celebrated National Children's Day (HAN) with a renewed commitment to stop violence against children and to reduce the number

Paulina Quintao – The Ministry of Social Solidarity (MSS) has acknowledged that it was difficult for victims of sexual abuse, particularly incest, to return to their families and society.

Jakarta – The government has recently submitted a regulation allowing tougher punishment, including chemical castration, for child sex offenders to the House of Representatives, a minister has conf

Jakarta – Data released by the National Commission for Child Protection (Komnas PA) suggests that the majority of the 40 gang rape cases that occurred from April 2015 to May 2016 had been carried o

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – The government will not back down from its plan to castrate child rapists despite the country's doctors' association refusing to conduct the procedure.

Jakarta – The National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) says there is an urgent need to pass a sexual violence bill into law as many crimes cannot be processed due to loophol

Jakarta – The Attorney General's Office (AGO) has dismissed the Indonesian Doctors Association's refusal to carry out chemical castration, a mooted punishment for sex offenders, an official said on

Ina Parlina and Margareth S.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – A recent string of rape cases has yet to shake things up in the country's police forces, which still tend to delay responding to victims' reports, leading to evidence that

Emma Fulu Freelance – A recent study conducted by The Asia Foundation found that 3 in 5 ever-partnered women aged 15 to 49 in Timor-Leste had experienced physical or sexual violence by a husband or

Indra Budiari, Jakarta – Lawmaker Fanny Afriansyah, also known as Ivan Haz, was dismissed on Thursday from the House of Representatives.

Suherdjoko and Andi Hajramurni, Semarang/Makassar – The government's hard-line approach to sexual violence against children has failed to discourage the brutality as more rape cases have occurred t

Jakarta – The government's response to rampant sexual violence against children has been given a mixed reception by activists as well as by victims and their families.

Marguerite Afra Sapiie, Jakarta – Rights activists have slammed the government's regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) on sexual violence against children, saying it focuses on punishing offenders wit

Jakarta – While law enforcers and experts have come out in support of the regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) on sexual violence against children, others have proposed alternative solutions to curb

Erika Anindita Dewi, Jakarta – The government's intention to impose harsh punishments on perpetrators of child sexual abuse, as stipulated in a new regulation in lieu of law (Perppu), has gained wi

Jewel Topsfield, Jakarta – Indonesia's harsh new punishments for child sex offenders – including the death penalty and chemical castration – represent something of a pyrrhic victory for women's adv

Syamsul Huda M. Suhari, Gorontalo – Gorontalo Police are dropping the investigation into the alleged gang rape of a 19-year-old woman from Manado, North Sulawesi, because of a lack of evidence.