Law reform needed to protect women

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Activists are again calling for the reevaluation of laws and regulations which discriminate against women.

Nursyahbani Katjasungkana, chief of the Association of Indonesian Woman for Justice, said that many of Indonesia's laws reflected patriarchal values that subordinated women to men.

"The Law on Marriage, for example, stipulates that the husband is the head of the family and the wife is the housekeeper," Nursyahbani said at a seminar, Legal Empowerment for Women, on Friday.

The outspoken activist said that many laws should be amended to respond to women's needs and rights.

According to Nursyahbani, women activists are working harder to advocate for women, to disseminate women's rights and to raise public awareness on women's rights and issues.

"It is crucial for women to know their rights in order to empower virtually every aspect of their lives," Nursyahbani said.

Legal empowerment is expected to raise women's assertiveness to question and reconsider their position in society in relation to men.

Budi Santoso of the Yogyakarta Legal Aid Institute agreed with the need for a campaign to increase women's awareness of their rights, but added that women must fight even harder to obtain maximum legal protection.

Budi suggested that laws should be reformed to ensure equal rights, thereby eradicating discrimination against women. And laws should be changed to impose severe penalties on those who are violent to women.

He said that the criminal code may need reevaluation and reform to make it more effective in dealing with the growing number of sexual assaults against women.

Chapter 285 of the Code of Criminal Conduct specifies that the maximum prison sentence for sexual assault is 12 years. (har/14)