Discrimination in Revised Human Rights Law Expanded to Include Gender and Disability Issues
Jakarta, KOMPAS.com - The Ministry of Human Rights (HAM) has stated that the definition of discrimination in the revised Human Rights Law (UU HAM) will be expanded to include gender and disability issues.
‘In the draft UU HAM, we have added grounds for discrimination including religion, belief, ethnicity, race, skin colour, origin, social or economic class, gender, gender identity, age, political beliefs, disability, marital status, health condition, and other bases,’ said Ministry of Human Rights Technical Expert Siti Aminah during a public hearing on the draft Human Rights Law amendment at the ministry’s office in Jakarta on Monday (25/5/2026).
‘This principle of discrimination is also being adjusted in the draft law,’ she added.
Siti stated that vulnerable groups in the revised UU HAM will be addressed through temporary special measures.
‘This is the maximum effort we can push for in the UU HAM revision to ensure no one is left behind,’ she said.
The government has stated that the revision of Law No. 39 of 1999 will bring several important changes, beyond the expanded discrimination definition.
The government guarantees that the revised UU HAM will recognise and protect human rights defenders from criminalisation.
‘In the law, this draft recognises Human Rights Defenders. Therefore, with this recognition, there will no longer be any ambiguity,’ said Secretary General of the Ministry of Human Rights (KemenHAM), Novita Ilmaris, during a Human Rights Journalists Class in Bandung, West Java, on Friday (22/5/2026).
According to Novita, the status of human rights defenders has previously lacked clear legal certainty.
Therefore, specific regulations in the UU HAM are deemed important to legitimise and provide state protection for human rights defence activities.
‘I advocate under certain conditions as a Human Rights Defender, and this is granted protection,’ she said.
Novita added that the UU HAM draft clarifies the position of the national human rights institution as an independent entity separate from executive power.
The draft law prohibits active or retired military and police personnel from serving on the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM).