VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Minister of Law and Human Rights, Yasonna Hamonangan Laoly. (ANTARA/HO-Law and Human Rights Ministry) - 

Jakarta, West Java, and Banten provinces will serve as role models for the development of human rights-based public services (P2HAM), Minister of Law and Human Rights, Yasonna Hamonangan Laoly, has announced.

"The three provincial governments will be role models for developing P2HAM in regions," Laoly said in a statement released here on Saturday.

The ministry bestowed awards to the three regional governments at the commemoration of World Human Rights Day on Friday (December 10, 2021) for setting a good example in developing P2HAM, he informed.

The awards are expected to motivate local governments to excel in providing the best services to people, he said.

Laoly then lauded all parties who have played an active role in supporting and implementing programs to promote human rights in Indonesia, including central and local governments, independent institutions working in the field of human rights, civil society organizations, and sections of the community.

"Let's continue to increase the role of government officials and institutions and collaborate with civil society and all components of the society to always uphold human rights in all aspects of social, national, and state life," he urged.

Meanwhile, the ministry's director general of human rights, Mualimin Abdi, said that the awards were based on the Minister of Law and Human Rights Regulation Number 27 of 2018 concerning Human Rights-Based Public Service Awards.

The evaluation criteria included an assessment of public services, handling of complaints of human rights violations, the implementation of the National Action Plan for Human Rights (RANHAM), and the implementation of international obligations in human rights, he added.

For Jakarta, the award was given for the One-Stop Service Office (PTSP) and the Integrated Service Center for the Empowerment of Women and Children (P2TP2A), he informed.

In West Java province, the award was given for the Regional Technical Service Unit (UPTD) of the Cikarang Bus Terminal in Bekasi district and the Ciledug Bus Terminal in Cirebon district, he said.

In Banten province, the award was given for the Singandaru Public Health Center (Puskesmas) and the Cikande One-Stop Administration Services (Samsat) Office, he added//ANT

Chief of the Presidential Staff Office, Moeldoko. (ANTARA/HO-Kantor Staf Presiden) - 

Chief of the Presidential Staff Office (KSP), Moeldoko, lauded the progress made on the sexual violence prevention bill after the legislative body of the House of Representatives agreed to designate the bill as legislature's initiative.

The designation of the bill as legislature's initiative, which was agreed upon after deliberations concluded on Wednesday (December 8, 2021), allows the bill to proceed to the next step before its ratification.

"The legislative body has grasped and understood public aspirations and, reflecting on sexual violence cases, translated it into a formidable commitment to prevent and eradicate sexual violence," Moeldoko said in a written statement issued in Jakarta on Saturday.

To ensure quick ratification of the bill, the KSP has initiated a cross-institution task force, the chief said.

The cross-institution task force comprises the Presidential Staff Office, the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection, the Attorney General's Office, and the National Police, he informed.

Deputy V of the KSP, Jaleswari Pramodhawardhani, who is also serving as the task force's deputy head, expressed the hope that the task force will be successful in advancing the bill.

"Stakeholders from multiple sectors that will converge on this task force are members of the public, academics, and media. We hope the sexual violence prevention bill will advance till its finalization and become a hope for sexual violence victims upon its ratification," she said.

Meanwhile, deputy minister of Law and Human Rights, Edward Omar Sharif Hiariej, informed that the task force will coordinate with institutions on various levels to ensure the speedy ratification of the bill.

Proposed in 2016, the sexual violence prevention bill has remained stalled ever since due to objections raised by members of the public and challenging negotiations among the parliamentary parties for a compromise on the bill's wording and clauses.

Parliament members agreed to include the bill on the national legislative program earlier this year after intensive public advocacy and compromise among parliamentary parties//ANT

Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi. (ANTARA/Bernadus Tokan) - 

Indonesia has been re-elected as a category C member of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council for the 2022-2023 term.

"The re-election of Indonesia as an IMO council member reflects the world’s recognition of its existence in the international maritime sector," Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said in a written statement released on Saturday.

Indonesia was re-elected following a vote conducted at the IMO headquarters in London on Friday, he informed.

The IMO currently has 175 member states, 40 of which are members of the IMO council under categories A, B, and C, Sumadi said.

Category A comprises 10 member states representing the largest international commercial shipping fleets as the largest providers of international sea transportation services.

Category B is made up of 10 member states representing the largest interests in the international seaborne trade. Category C has 20 member states representing special interests in sea transportation or navigation and representing all of the world’s main geographical regions.

The re-election of Indonesia as an IMO council member has offered a chance to the country to take part in formulating IMO policies, which have a significant influence on the maritime sector, Sumadi said.

Meanwhile, acting Director General of Sea Transportation at the Transportation Ministry Arif Toha said the election of IMO council members for 2021 was conducted through a secret ballot, the same voting system used in the previous years.

"Alhamdulillah (Thank God), this year, through heavy struggle, we managed to vie for 20 seats, bearing in mind that the competition was quite tight. In 2019, we competed with 24 countries, while this year, 27 countries nominated themselves for (IMO council membership),” he added//ANT

Deported Indonesian migrant workers were accommodated at a Nunukan flat in North Kalimantan. ANTARA/Rusman - 

Malaysia has deported 229 Indonesian workers in Sabah, Malaysia, including eight children, to North Kalimantan's district of Nunukan.

"Hundreds of the deported migrant workers were already vaccinated in Malaysia and have the results of the PCR test," Head of the Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Board (BP2MI) of the Nunukan branch Adjunct Senior Commissioner F. J. Ginting stated here on Saturday.

Ginting noted that the migrant workers arrived at the Tunon Taka Port in Nunukan District on Friday (Dec 10) at around 5:15 p.m. local time.

Upon arrival at the port, the workers were taken by the immigration officer and local police for examination of health documents and swab test by the Port Health Office (KKP).

Ginting explained that the health checks were conducted stringently to prevent the entry of the new omicron variant of COVID-19 that had been detected in Malaysia.

The deportees comprise 44 women, 177 men, and eight children, out of which 87 came from East Nusa Tenggara and 37 from South Sulawesi, while the rest came from West Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi and the islands of Sumatra and Java.

As many as 127 workers were deported for not being able to present a working permit, 61 were arrested for drug-related crimes, two for murder, and other crimes.

The workers were temporarily accommodated in Rusunawa for five days before being sent back to their respective villages, Ginting stated//ANT