Amendment of the law | Indonesia banned sex outside of marriage – also applies to tourists

Indonesia passed a new law on Tuesday that makes sex outside marriage a crime. CNN’s In Indonesia, sex outside of marriage and living together before marriage will be prohibited in the future. In addition, insulting the president or opinions opposing the national line are prohibited.

According to CNN, the country’s parliamentarians have approved a law that replaces the previous criminal law dating back to the Dutch colonial era.

CNN’s the strict law will also apply to tourists in the future. Tourism is an important business for Indonesia, and tourism companies fear that the new law will have a negative impact on the attractiveness of the country.

The island of Bali, located in Indonesia, is a popular travel destination, especially among young and unmarried people. Representative of Bali tourism associations Putu Winasara tells CNN that the law may make tourists think twice about traveling to Indonesia.

“From our point of view as operators in tourism, this law is very problematic,” says Winasara.

“Should we ask foreign unmarried couples if they are married or not? Do tourist couples have to prove they are married?” he continues.

Law has aroused widespread criticism also in human rights organizations, among others, because it is considered to trample on human rights and people’s freedoms.

Indonesia is a Muslim-majority country where, according to CNN, several strict Islamist laws have been introduced in recent years. Alcohol and gambling are prohibited in some parts of the country. Public floggings are also used as a punishment for homosexuality or adultery, for example, in some parts of the country.

According to CNN, in the future in Indonesia, you can get a one-year prison sentence for having sex outside of marriage. Parents who suspect that their child is committing a crime can, for example, make a report about sex before marriage.