A law that could punish sex outside of marriage by up to one year in prison is expected to pass Indonesia’s Parliament this month.
The new criminal code would also ban unmarried couples from living together.
The law around sex outside of marriage would apply to both citizens and foreigners. However, it could only be reported to authorities by a limited number of people, including close relatives.
The context
The new criminal code addresses an array of rules and punishments related to criminal activity in Indonesia. It’s expected to pass before the sitting year ends on 15 December.
Draft laws proposing prison sentences for sex and cohabitation outside of marriage were almost passed in 2019, but a vote was delayed after nationwide protests were staged in response to the legislation.
UN concerns
A collection of United Nations representatives expressed concerns about the proposed criminal code last month.
They said that criminalising sex between consenting adults “violates the right to bodily autonomy and integrity”.
Background
There have been multiple attempts in the past to change Indonesia’s criminal code. The current code dates back to Indonesia’s Dutch colonial period, which ended in the mid-20th century.
Draft laws proposing prison sentences for sex and cohabitation outside of marriage were almost passed in 2019, but a vote was delayed after nationwide protests were staged in response to the legislation.
