Woman judges set to be mandatory in rape cases

JAKARTA (JP): The government plans to issue a regulation requiring at least one of the three judges presiding over rape trials be a woman.

State Minister of the Empowerment of Women Khofifah Indar Parawansa said here on Wednesday she presented her proposal to concerned ministers and received their support.

"Minister of Law and Legislation Yusril Ihza Mahendra personally approved the idea and will consent to draft the regulation," Khofifah said during a media conference which also was attended by First Lady Sinta Nuriah.

Khofifah, who told journalists she preferred her office to be called the empowerment of women rather than women's affairs, said that during her discussions with Yusril she was asked if she would like to propose that all judges in rape trials be women.

She said victims of rape had gone through a devastating experience and deserved special treatment in the handling of their cases.

She defined special treatment as having female counselors and officials handle rape cases from their initial reporting and investigation to the trial.

"From the filing of the case to the court room, the victim should be assisted by women officials," Khofifah said.

She said this would help women overcome their trauma and make them feel more at ease in recounting their case and testifying in court.

"The presence of a female judge hopefully can help overcome problems," she said.

Khofifah said Yusril also told her the new ruling could be issued as an individual regulation, not a joint ministerial decision.

Blame

During the media conference, the first time the first lady has spoken directly during such an event, Sinta Nuriah called on the media to stop exploiting women, including the sensationalist reporting of sex crimes.

"Offenses against women not only occur in the family, the community and the work place, but are also committed by the media," the first lady said, noting that many soap operas and publications portrayed women as sex objects.

She chided the media for failing to cover the numerous women who are leading intellectuals in the country.

"The media can help improve gender awareness among the general public and avoid making the issue look like a feminist campaign," she said, stressing that such issues should not be the sole responsibility of feminists.

She said, however, that greater public awareness could only succeed if women themselves began to respect themselves.

She berated those women who elected to become prostitutes because of the lure of money. "Being a prostitute was sometimes not their last option in life."

Khofifah said changing the name of her office was part of the effort to eradicate erroneous images of women.

"When I was appointed, I asked the President to give me the authority for one-door policies. This means that all 14 ministries and two state ministers will abide by the policies from this office concerning women's issues," she said. (04)