A new penal code that forbids living between unmarried couples was approved by lawmakers in Indonesia.
Despite objections from human rights activists, lawmakers in Indonesia on Tuesday approved a significant revision to the country’s penal code, making premarital sex illegal by up to a year in jail.
The new law, which will go into force in three years and apply to both Indonesian citizens and foreign tourists, outlaws all sexual contact with those who are not married and forbids unmarried couples from cohabiting, a violation that carries a six-month prison sentence.
However, according to a copy of the amended criminal code seen by The Associated Press, only close relatives including a spouse, parent or child will be able to raise such complaints with the authorities.
All political parties in the parliament agreed with the bill. Additionally, it makes it unlawful to advocate for contraception, as well as to disrespect the president or state institutions, hold unlicensed protests, and propagate ideas that are in opposition to the ideology of the country with a majority of Muslims.
When the new code was first presented in 2019, it was met with ferocious opposition from tens of thousands of protesters who said the legislation threatened their right to privacy and freedom of expression.
Despite some of the bill’s provisions being softened by parliamentarians, human rights advocates have denounced it as a significant “setback” for what is thought to be the third-largest democracy in the world.
Indonesia’s tourism association had previously suggested that foreign arrivals to holiday destinations such as Bali were expected to reach pre-pandemic annual levels of six million by 2025.
The new code may result in less foreign investment, tourism, and travel to Indonesia, according to Sung Kim, the US ambassador there. He said that “criminalising the personal decisions of individuals would loom large within the decision matrix of many companies determining whether to invest in Indonesia.”
The new regulations, according to Albert Aries, a spokesman for Indonesia’s Justice Ministry, are meant to “protect the institution of marriage and Indonesian values.”
