Indonesian government is facing a backlash after its move to ban sex outside marriage or pre-marital sex.
The government is pushing for an update on its penal code to impose jail terms or steep fines on anyone having consensual sex outside of marriage.
The controversial proposal will include penalties for those insulting the President, women who committed abortion for non-medical reasons, selling contraceptives to those younger than 18 years-old and blasphemy laws including gay sex.
Rights groups slammed Indonesia’s move, saying this is an assault on basic freedoms and could lead to the spread of conservative Islam in the highly populated Muslim country.
“Indonesia’s draft criminal code is disastrous not only for women and religious and gender minorities, but for all Indonesians. Lawmakers should remove all the abusive articles before passing the law,” Human Rights Watch said in a statement.
