Press Release, December 3, 2025 — On the occasion of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (16 HAKTP), Puskapol UI, together with the Civil Society Coalition for the Codification of the Election Bill, called for stronger protection for women in electoral politics. This call was made in response to the widespread gender-based political violence in the 2024 Elections, including intimidation, harassment, digital attacks, and psychological pressure. A political culture that normalizes violence and the absence of prevention and handling mechanisms in most political parties place women in a vulnerable position.
This press release also highlights the weak commitment of election organizers, especially after PKPU No. 10/2023 no longer includes a prohibition for former convicted child sexual offenders to be nominated as legislative candidates—a provision previously found in PKPU No. 31/2018. The removal of this rule opens the door for perpetrators of violence to pass through and hold public office. A Komnas Perempuan (2024) media release indicated that legislative candidates accused of child sexual abuse were still nominated, elected, and inaugurated.
Furthermore, the commitment to women’s representation has also weakened due to the downward decimal rounding rule in PKPU No. 10/2023, which has led to a decrease in women’s nominations. This affects 38 out of a total of 84 electoral districts, and only 1 out of 18 political parties participating in the 2024 Elections met the 30% women’s quota in all electoral districts. These findings indicate serious structural barriers to increasing women’s political participation.
Both issues—gender-based political violence and the weakening commitment to women’s representation—serve as a strong alarm for democracy. Without a safe and inclusive political space, women will be further marginalized from political decision-making processes. Therefore, the revision of the Election Law is considered a crucial moment to ensure a regulatory structure that protects women and promotes more equitable political participation.
The complete press release document can be downloaded via the link available on this page.
