A new criminal statute that may result in up to a year in prison for having sex outside of marriage is anticipated to be approved by Indonesia's parliament this month.
A legislator participating in the draft, Bambang Wuryanto, predicted that the code might be adopted as soon as next week.
If adopted, the law would apply to both domestic and foreign residents of Indonesia.
Only if there are parties who file complaints with the authorities can adultery be punished.
The spouse of the offender is the person eligible to file a complaint for individuals who are married.
The law also gives unmarried people's parents the option to report them for having sex.
Additionally, cohabitation before marriage will be prohibited, and offenders might receive a six-month prison sentence.
According to Reuters, business groups have raised concern about the harm the laws would cause to Indonesia's reputation as a tourist and investment destination.
According to Shinta Widjaja Sukamdani, deputy chairman of Indonesia's Employers' Association (APINDO), the application of this customary rule will cause legal uncertainty for the business sector and cause investors to think twice about investing in Indonesia.
The last code draft was scheduled to be adopted in 2019, but it prompted widespread protests that involved tens of thousands of participants.
In cities all around Indonesia, many people, especially students, flocked to the streets, with the greatest conflicts occurring in Jakarta, the country's capital.
The demonstrators who had thrown stones at the police were confronted with tear gas and water cannons.
There is precedent for such tight rules on sex and relationships in areas of Indonesia, which are primarily Muslim.
The province of Aceh upholds strict Islamic rule and has penalized anyone who partakes in gambling, consumes alcohol, or interacts with people of the opposite sex.
One incident in 2021 involved neighbors accusing two men of having sex. They were publicly spanked by a police officer, who gave them each 77 lashes.
Two males received 40 lashes apiece for being intoxicated, and a woman and a man received 20 lashes each for being caught near one another.
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