Law reform needed to protect women

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)