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Legal aid cuts hurt protection for abuse survivors
The protection of survivors of gender-based violence has come under scrutiny following cuts to legal aid funding, as calls grow for stronger cooperation between the government and civil society organizations to prevent violence and enforce the anti-sexual violence law.
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Participants in an International Women’s Day march hold placards on March 8, 2024, along a pedestrian crossing in Bandung, West Java. (Antara/Novrian Arbi)
T
he protection of survivors of gender-based violence has come under scrutiny following cuts to legal aid funding, as calls grow for stronger cooperation between the government and civil society organizations to prevent violence and enforce the 2022 Sexual Violence Eradication Law.
The Legal Aid Foundation of the Indonesian Women’s Association for Justice (LBH APIK), which has long provided legal assistance for women and children, particularly in cases of domestic abuse and gender-based violence, is facing a decline in legal aid resources.
“Our legal aid funding from the Law Ministry has been cut by up to 80 percent this year, leaving us with only Rp 14.7 million [US$903]. With this amount, we can only cover two or three cases,” LBH APIK coordinator Khotimun Sutanti told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
Khotimun said that before President Prabowo Subianto’s austerity measures in January, each of the 18 LBH APIK regional offices received at least Rp 107 million per year, enough to handle around 10 cases, including non-litigation costs. However, this funding remains far below the average caseload, which ranges from 50 to 300 cases per office, with the Jakarta office recording the highest average at 1,600 annually.
Besides funding challenges, LBH APIK noted the lack of implementing regulations for the Sexual Violence Eradication Law has created legal uncertainty, leading to inconsistent interpretation and different ways of handling sexual violence cases by law enforcement.
“Often, cases are forced into using a restorative justice approach where the perpetrator and survivor are ‘reconciled,’ even though the law prohibits out-of-court settlements,” she said.
She added that facilities for survivors, such as shelters, also remain below standard in many regions, with inadequate buildings, lack of psychological services and limited access to employment.
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