TEMPO.CO, Semarang - The Legal Resource Center for Gender Justice and Human Rights (LRC-KJHAM) Semarang stated that cases of violence against women when dating are dominated by the Central Java Province. In the last two months from January to February 2017, LRC-KJHAM recorded 58 cases of violence in dating.
“Case of dating abuse (KdP) was the highest with 19 cases,” said the Inventory and Documentation Division at LRC-KJHAM Semarang, Citra Ayu Kurniawati on Tuesday, March 8, 2017.
Dating abuse case was higher than domestic abuse (KdRT) case which had 14 recorded cases. “Meanwhile there were 12 cases of rape, 7 cases of sexual slavery, and 2 cases of migrant workers,” Citra added.
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There were also 2 cases of prostitution and sexual harassment against women. Sexual violence, according to Citra, still dominates the cases that are handled by the institution, translating to 72.32 percent. Followed by 14.69 percent physical abuse, and 9.04 percent mental abuse.
Citra explained that the high number of dating abuse in Semarang City proves that the violence that is endured by women as a victim is not worth Indonesia’s legal protection. She said female victims of violence are faced with many obstacles and challenges in obtaining their rights, which includes when they are dating.
Added by the current situation where there are no special laws that protect women who become the victims of sexual abuse.
Indonesian Association of Legal Aid and Human Rights (PBHI) activist, Roudlatul Maunah, who is used to handle cases related to abuse against women and children, states that the statistic shows that there are still many victims that are not aware that they are legally protected.
“Even though many victims are university students, they should be made aware of their rights considering their proficient level of education,” Roudlatul said.
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