2 Accused Rapists Of Minors Freed, KPPA Aceh Asks Qanun Jinayat To Be Revised

ACEH - Aceh's Women and Children Protection Commission (KPPA) has requested that Qanun Hukum Jinayat Aceh be revised immediately.

This request follows the acquitted verdict of the Aceh Syar'iyah Court against the accused in the case of an alleged child rapist in Aceh Besar.

"The free verdict of the Aceh Syar'iyah Court against the accused further proves that qanun jinayat is very impartial to the child victims of sexual violence, it needs to be revised immediately," said KPPA Aceh Commissioner Firdaus Nyak Idin in Banda Aceh quoted from Antara, Monday, May 24.

To be known, two accused perpetrators of the rape of minors in Aceh, namely a father and uncle of the victim, were freed by the Syar'iyah Court.

The accused victim's father with the initials MA was freed by the Court of Syar'iyah Jantho, Aceh Besar Regency on Tuesday, March 30, 2021. Ma was judged not proven legally and convincingly committed rape against the victim.

Meanwhile, the victim's uncle, DP, was sentenced by the Court of Syar'iyah Jantho to 16.6 years or 200 months in prison.

Then, dp defendants through their legal power appealed to the Syar'iyah Court of Aceh Province. At this stage the judge acquitted the victim's uncle, and now both alleged perpetrators have been acquitted.

Firdaus said, if qanun jinayat is not yet a child protection perspective, then its human resources are most likely also insensitive to child protection.

Not to mention, said Firdaus, the experience of syar'iyah court judges who are accustomed to the civil case, allegedly still low experience in handling criminal cases, including sexual violence against children.

"Since long ago KPPA rejected qanun jinayat, rejected the Syar'iyah Court that handles cases of sexual violence against children. Because from the beginning of the drafting qanun it does not involve the parties who have a child protection perspective," he said.

Therefore, firdaus continued, KPPA urged the Government of Aceh through the Islamic Sharia Office and DPRA to immediately revise the aceh jinayat qanun, especially about the article related to children.

Furthermore, he also asked for the handling of child cases using the Child Protection Law as well as the Child Criminal Justice System Law.

"In short, qanun jinayat and the Court of Syar'iyah should not take care of criminal matters related to children that they do not understand," firdaus said.