DISASTER

Indonesia Passes Law to Criminalize Sex Outside Marriage

The restrictive law will apply to locals and tourists alike, restricting human rights in the country and dealing a potential blow to the tourism department.

It’s now a crime to have sex outside of marriage in Indonesia. The country’s parliament has passed a law that would sentence people to up to a year in jail time. (In other words, if Indonesian morning show anchors had an affair, they wouldn’t just be fired. They would be going to jail.) The law has been skewered for its swipes at human rights and the devastating effect it could have on the nation’s tourism. The law applies to both locals and tourists, and will begin being enforced in three years. The law further criminalizes couples who live together, who could face up to six months in jail. Several groups of young people protested in Jakarta this week against the restrictive laws, and it’s expected the law will be challenged in court.