Executive Director of IPAS Indonesia, Dr. Marcia Soumokil, MPH together with CSO partners from CEDAW Working Group Indonesia (CWGI) met with the Indonesian Minister of Law and Human Rights, Prof. Yasonna Laoly and Directors. The meeting discussed the Concluding Observation of CEDAW Committee on Government of Indonesia 8th periodic report.
Among these recommendations, issues surrounding women’s access to reproductive justice were presented by the IPAS Indonesia Foundation, among others:
- The Ministry of Law and Human Rights at the central and regional levels needs to ensure law enforcement and capacity building for law enforcement officials on gender and human rights, especially when handling cases of discrimination against women and gender-based violence using the victim’s perspective, and needs to socialize related laws, such as the Human Rights Law, Sexual Violence Law, Domestic Violence Law, and so on.
- The Ministry of Law and Human Rights needs to ensure that there is no further criminalization of women who are victims of discrimination and violence in the legal process by law enforcement officials, for example decriminalizing abortion for rape survivors as in the case of a rape victim in Jambi who was criminalized for having an abortion.
- The Ministry of Law and Human Rights must ensure that sex workers receive equal treatment before the law so that there is no more stigmatization, criminalization and discrimination against sex workers by state officials.
These are the efforts of IPAS Indonesia and CSO partners in realizing reproductive justice for survivors of sexual violence. Advocacy efforts to the government through other relevant ministries are also ongoing, such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Communication and Information, Ministry of Women and Children Empowerment, and others.
These are the efforts of IPAS Indonesia and CSO partners in realizing reproductive justice for survivors of sexual violence. Advocacy efforts to the government through other relevant ministries are also ongoing, such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Communication and Information, Ministry of Women and Children Empowerment, and others.
