Sex abuse worse in pandemic

THE National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) has found that reported sexual harassment and abuse, particularly online, has risen significantly this year as the nation endures the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to Komnas Perempuan data, 659 cases of online sexual harassment or abuse were reported from January to October this year. “The number is more than double that of 2019, with 281 cases, ” Komnas Perempuan commissioner Mariana Amiruddin said on Tuesday. Most of the reports filed with the commission were related to sexual abuse, such as the nonconsensual distribution of private sexual content, she said.