The Effectiveness of Legal Protection Against Sexual Violence in Indonesia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58824/arjis.v5i2.629Keywords:
Sexual violence, Legal protection, TPKS Law, Lawrence M. Friedman, Legal system.Abstract
Sexual violence against women and children continues to be a significant issue in Indonesia despite the enactment of Law Number 12 of 2022 on Sexual Violence Crimes (UU TPKS), reflecting an ongoing discrepancy between the legal protections established by legislation and their implementation in practice. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of legal protection for victims of sexual violence in addressing contemporary legal challenges by applying Lawrence M. Friedman's legal system theory, which emphasizes the interrelationship among legal substance, legal structure, and legal culture. The research adopts a normative-analytical method within a socio-legal approach, utilizing legislation, judicial decisions, and official institutional data as its primary sources. The findings indicate that, while UU TPKS has introduced a more comprehensive definition of sexual violence and reinforced mechanisms for victim restitution, its legal substance remains affected by normative fragmentation in relation to other regulations. Furthermore, law enforcement structures, particularly the Integrated Service Units for the Protection of Women and Children (UPTD PPA), continue to face disparities in distribution and shortages of qualified personnel, whereas patriarchal legal culture still perpetuates victim-blaming attitudes and discourages victims from reporting incidents. The study concludes that strengthening legal protection requires the integrated improvement of legal substance, legal structure, and legal culture, rather than relying solely on regulatory reform. This research contributes by offering a more comprehensive analytical framework regarding the effectiveness of the Sexual Violence Crimes Law (UU TPKS) and by providing a rationale for strengthening policies and victim protection systems that are more responsive, equitable, and oriented towards the fulfillment of victims' rights.
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