Indonesia bans sex outside marriage in new criminal code. On Tuesday, Indonesia’s parliament approved a new criminal code that punishes sex outside marriage with up to a year in prison, amid concerns that the measures may deter tourists and hamper investment.
The new regulation, which will apply to both Indonesians and foreigners, also forbids unmarried couples from cohabiting. It will also prohibit insulting the president or state institutions, disseminating anti-state ideology, and staging protests without prior notice.
All major parties voted in favor of the legislation. Indonesia bans sex outside marriage in new criminal code.
However, the code will not go into force for three years to allow for the development of implementing regulations.
Adultery is currently prohibited in Indonesia, but not premarital sex.
The new policy, according to Maulana Yusran, deputy chief of Indonesia’s tourism industry board, is “completely counter-productive” at a time when the economy and tourism are beginning to recover from the pandemic.
As the island recovers from the effects of COVID-19, foreign arrivals in Bali are likely to approach pre-pandemic levels of six million by 2025, according to the tourism organization.
Indonesia is likewise attempting to entice more “digital nomads” to its sunny coasts by providing a more flexible visa.
Sung Kim, the US Ambassador to Indonesia, stated at an investment forum that the announcement could result in fewer foreign investment, tourism, and travel to the Southeast Asian country.
According to Albert Aries, a spokesperson for Indonesia’s justice ministry, the new morality laws were limited in who may report them, such as a parent, spouse, or child of a suspected offender.
These regulations are part of a slew of amendments to the law that critics argue jeopardize civil freedoms in the world’s third-largest democracy. Other laws prohibit the use of black magic.
Some of the clauses have subsequently been watered down, with President Joko Widodo encouraging parliament to enact the bill this year, before the country’s political atmosphere heats up ahead of the presidential elections in early 2024.
