The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 12/31/2008 3:55 PM
Legal Aid Foundation of the Indonesian Women's Association for Justice (LBH APIK) reported Wednesday that women's awareness over domestic abuse was increasing as evident in the rise in number of cases reported.
BH APIK director Estu Rakhmi Fanani said the institute had received 497 cases in 2008, a 51 percent increase compared to last year's at 216 cases.
"As many as 51 percent of 35 cases of sexual abuse, rape and molestation were suffered by women below the age of 18, whereas sexual harassment were rampantly reported by those above," Fanani said, as reported by kompas.com.
A significant proportion of the perpetrators, she added, were known to the victims.
"Perpetrators were listed as employers, superiors, siblings, boyfriends, neighbors, spiritual teachers, cohort, step fathers and doctors," she said.
LBH APIK coordinator for legal reforms, Umi Farida, however, added that despite the fact that people's awareness of abuse has increased, law enforcement and legal processing were still weak.
"There are still challenges in the legal system, which is why a revision of the Criminal Code was introduced in Prolegnas (National Legistation Program), "Farida said. (amr)
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