Indonesian sex ban: what exactly does it mean for tourists? Australia asks for clarity

Canberra is ‘seeking further clarity’ after Jakarta approved legislation to overhaul its criminal code and outlaw sex outside marriage
Indonesia is a major holiday destination for Australians – before the pandemic, more than a million a year visited the island of Bali alone

Indonesia

Agence France-Presse

Published: 5:05pm, 7 Dec 2022

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Australia said on Wednesday it was seeking more information on Indonesia’s move to criminalise sex outside marriage, as the ban’s impact on tourists to Bali and other parts of the majority-Muslim nation remained unclear.

Canberra said it was “seeking further clarity” after Jakarta approved legislation to overhaul its criminal code and outlaw sex outside marriage on Tuesday.

“We understand these revisions will not come into force for three years, and we await further information on how the revisions will be interpreted as implementing regulations are drafted and finalised,” a foreign affairs spokeswoman said in a statement.

Officials would “regularly and carefully reassess the risks to Australians overseas”, and would “continue to monitor the situation closely”, she added.

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Indonesia passes law banning premarital and extramarital sex

Indonesia, northwest of Australia, is a major holiday destination for those Down Under, with the largely Hindu island of Bali famous for its beaches, nightlife and pumping surf.

Before the pandemic, more than a million Australians a year visited the island.

Despite the change to the laws, authorities have insisted foreigners travelling to Bali will not be affected.

The new code must still be approved by President Joko Widodo.

Some of the most controversial articles in the new code criminalise extramarital sex and the cohabitation of unmarried couples.

According to the text seen by AFP, sex outside marriage will be punished with one year in prison, while unmarried people living together could face six months behind bars.

A revision of Indonesia’s criminal code, which stretches back to the Dutch colonial era, has been debated for decades.

Following the parliamentary vote, rights groups protested against the amendments, denouncing them as a crackdown on civil liberties and political freedoms.

They also characterised the move as a shift towards fundamentalism in Muslim-majority Indonesia, where the constitution recognises five religions alongside Islam.