Anti-Sexual Violence Bill Listed in Prolegnas Shows State Support for Victims

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The House of Representatives (DPR) Speaker Puan Maharani said that the inclusion of the draft bill on sexual violence eradication or RUU PKS in the 2021 National Legislation Program (Prolegnas) proves the state support for women and victims of sexual violence.

RUU PKS is one of 33 prioritized bills listed in Prolegnas which were determined during the House’s plenary meeting on Tuesday, March 23.

“Through the bill, the state shows that it sides with victims of sexual violence,” said Puan after the plenary session at the Parliament Complex, Senayan, as quoted from a written statement.

This also proves that the DPR sees public opinions as the main consideration in determining priority bills, she added. The DPR absorbed views of women's civilian groups that had been pressing for state protection against sexual crimes.

“We consider the public's opinion then carry out an in-depth study regarding its pros and cons before the bill is included in this year's list of priority bills,” said Puan.

The bill has actually been included in the Prolegnas many times since the previous period of the DPR. However, the discussion was dropped or postponed several times.

The Presidential Staff Office has earlier established an inter-ministerial and institutional task force to oversee the ratification of the bill. The office's deputy head of politics, law, security, and human rights affairs, Jaleswari Pramodhawardani, said that the task force is expected to create synergy, consult with the DPR, and conduct public communication with various community organizations on the RUU PKS.

Read: Lawmaker Urges Govt to Rethink Plan to Import Rice

BUDIARTI UTAMI PUTRI