Indonesia bans sex outside of marriage

First modification: 12/06/2022 – 15:10

“It is time to take a historic decision on the amendments to the penal code and leave behind the colonial criminal code that we inherited,” Yasonna Laoly, Minister of Justice and Human Rights, told deputies. For decades this Southeast Asian country has been debating a reform of its penal code, which dates back to its days as a Dutch colony.

Some of the most controversial articles of the new legislation criminalize pre- and extra-marital sex, as well as cohabitation by unmarried couples. This has set off alarm bells among the LGTBQ community in Indonesia, where same-sex marriage is not allowed. But not only, the alarm is general.

The business sector has also expressed concern because they fear that there will be an impact on tourism, although the authorities have insisted that foreigners traveling to Bali will not be subject to this rule.

Up to one year in jail

Extramarital sex will be punishable by one year in prison and unmarried couples living together will face up to six months in prison, according to the text seen by the French news agency, AFP.

The law aims to protect the institution of marriage, according to Albert Aries, spokesman for the team in charge of this law at the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, and stressed that acts of pre- and extramarital sex could only be denounced by the spouse, parents or parents. children, which limits the scope of the review.

turn towards fundamentalism

For human rights groups, this legislation marks a check on morality and a turn towards fundamentalism in a country widely praised for its religious tolerance, whose constitution upholds secularism.

“This law shows that the arguments of academics abroad are true, that our democracy is indisputably in decline,” Amnesty International’s Indonesia director Usman Hamid told AFP.