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Seven laws 'discriminate against women': KPI

Jakarta Post - March 7, 2016

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Jakarta – The Indonesian Women's Coalition (KPI) said on Sunday that the country had at least seven laws that should be amended for failing to accommodate gender equality.

KPI secretary-general Dian Kartikasari said the problematic legislation included the laws on marriage, migrant worker protection, fishermen, gender equality, sexual violence, domestic workers and social welfare.

She cited as an example that in the Marriage Law, the minimum legal age of marriage for females is 16, while it is 19 for males. Many young women who marry during their teens are unable to finish high school as a result.

Moreover, the law stipulates that girls under 16 can marry with permission from their parents. "Sometimes parents marry off their child at 13 or 14," Dian said as quoted by kompas.com.

There were 293,220 cases of violence against women reported to the commission in 2014, up from 279,688 in 2013 and 216,156 in 2012. Of those figures, around 25 percent were cases of sexual violence.

Dian said the law on fishermen lacked recognition for female fishers who took care of their families while also working at sea.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/03/07/national-scene-seven-laws-discriminate-against-women-kpi.html.