New Delhi: In Indonesia, it is now forbidden to have physical relations before marriage and live-in without marriage. On Tuesday, Indonesia’s parliament passed a new law criminalizing pre-marital sex and live-in relationships.
This move of the government has been considered by critics as a major setback to the country’s independence.
Earlier, rights groups had opposed the amendments in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, condemning the crackdown on civil liberties and the shift towards fundamentalism.
Law and Human Rights Minister Yasona Laoli said, “We have done our best to accommodate important issues and differing opinions that were debated. However, it is time for us to take a historic decision on the Penal Code amendment and leave the colonial criminal code behind.”
According to media reports, it is also feared that this rule can have a major impact on the LGBTQ community in Indonesia, where gay marriage is not allowed.