Needdem: The TPKS Bill Is A Turning Point For Women's Representatives In Parliament

Member of the Supervisory Board of Needdem Titi Anggraini (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Activist Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem) Titi Anggraini said the Draft Law on the Crime of Sexual Violence (RUU TPKS) was a turning point for women's representation in parliament.

"One of the obstacles in the current movement to encourage the representation of women in politics is the stigma that the presence of women in parliament does not contribute substantially to pro-women policy and budget products," said Titi Anggraini to the Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Puan Maharani at the DPR RI Building, Jakarta, Antara, Wednesday, January 12.

So far, the stigma of women's representation in terms of numbers has also been followed substantially by pushing for the ratification of the bill. "This is also a struggle, not only for political women in the DPR, but for us who are strengthening women's representation in politics," said the activist of the Maju Perempuan Indonesia association.

Regarding the narrative of excessive criminalization of women in the TPKS Bill, according to him, this is not proven. He then gave an example of the same narrative before the discussion of the Law on the Elimination of Domestic Sexual Violence (PKDRT). However, until now the excessive criminalization was not even proven.

Titi appreciates the commitment of the Chairman of the DPR to push the TPKS Bill into a DPR initiative bill. "This bill has complete substance, apart from law enforcement, there is also protection and fulfillment of victims' rights," he said.

In the next discussion of the TPKS Bill, Titi hopes that there will be open and space for women activists to provide input to enrich the substance of the bill.

Dozens of representatives of women's activists and women's organizations visited the DPR RI Building, Jakarta, Wednesday. They conveyed suggestions to the Chair of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Puan Maharani, regarding the discussion of the TPKS Bill.

The women's and civil society institutions and organizations include the Association for the Center for the Study of Indonesian Women/Gender and Children (ASWGI), the Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK), the Indonesian Women's Coalition for Justice and Democracy, the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan). , Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem), academics, and students.

"I want to be open, the DPR is open to receiving input if there are things to be conveyed," said DPR RI Chair Puan Maharani.

Puan emphasized her commitment to the ratification of the TPKS Bill as a DPR initiative bill. The government and the DPR, he said, will jointly discuss the problem inventory list (DIM) after the bill is passed next week.

In the discussion of the bill, his party applied the precautionary principle and was in accordance with the applicable statutory mechanism.

"We want to produce quality laws that are not legally flawed," said Puan.