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View all search resultsFemicide on rise amid legal, enforcement gaps
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Activists hold some banners during a peaceful demonstration against gender-based violence in Jakarta on Nov. 25, 2024. The protesters urge the government to push the resolution for cases of gender-based violence and protection for women. (Antara/Idlan Dziqri Mahmudi)
I
ndonesia continues to see a disturbing rise in femicide, the gender-based killing of women, amid a lack of legal recognition and law enforcement inaction. Advocacy group Jakarta Feminist reported at least 204 cases in 2024, up around 11 percent from 184 in 2023.
In a report released on Monday, the group noted that the victims also include underage girls and trans women. Nearly half of the perpetrators, predominantly men, had intimate or familial ties to the victims, while over half of the killings took place in the victims’ homes.
“Femicide has distinct characteristics compared to general homicide, requiring broader contextual examination,” said Jakarta Feminist’s Syifana Ayu Maulida at the report’s launch in Jakarta.
“These murders are often preceded by other forms of violence that are overlooked. Victims may be subjected to repeated abuse beforehand, abandoned at the crime scene, or raped before or after the killing,” she continued.
Most victims and perpetrators were between 26 and 40 years old, highlighting what the report describes as “a close relationship and clear gender imbalance.” West Java, Central Java and East Java reported the highest number of cases.
The findings, based on media reports and grassroots data, also underscored persistent underreporting, as many femicide cases are misclassified as regular crimes. The group subsequently called for legal recognition of femicide to close this gap.
Read also: Femicide: The final stage of violence in patriarchal society
