Indonesian legal group warns Bandung abuse case may lead to femicide

The Indonesian Legal Resource Center (ILRC) has strongly condemned the alleged kidnapping and abuse of a woman in Bandung, West Java, describing the case as gender-based violence that carries a significant risk of femicide.

Tri Febi Maharani, a researcher at ILRC, stated that the alleged perpetrator, identified as TH, is the victim's boyfriend. She emphasized that the case transcends mere assault, pointing to a pattern of coercive control and escalating violence within the relationship. "We urge the police and law enforcement to handle the case quickly, professionally, and with a gender perspective, including investigating elements of planning, patterns of coercive control, and the risk of escalating violence that could lead to femicide," Maharani said in a written statement.

Maharani detailed how such violence often unfolds gradually, involving physical, psychological, sexual, and economic abuse. Victims are frequently isolated from social circles and family, denied access to mobile phones, held captive, and subjected to repeated physical harm. This pattern aims to strip victims of their freedom and bodily autonomy, foster dependency, and instill fear. The alleged physical abuse resulted in the victim suffering permanent disabilities, including vision loss and inability to walk, which Maharani interprets as an attempt by the perpetrator to incapacitate her ability to defend herself, escape, seek help, or live independently.

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We urge the police and law enforcement to handle the case quickly, professionally, and with a gender perspective, including investigating elements of planning, patterns of coercive control, and the risk of escalating violence that could lead to femicide.

Siti Aminah Tardi, executive director of ILRC, warned that the Bandung case could escalate into femicide. She cited a 2025 UN Women report indicating that approximately 60% of the 83,000 women and girls killed globally were murdered by intimate partners or family members. Data from Jakarta Feminist in 2025 recorded 103 cases of intimate femicide. ILRC's monitoring of sexual femicide reveals that perpetrators are predominantly young men aged 18-30 who are close to the victim, including boyfriends, ex-boyfriends, neighbors, and colleagues.

From a feminist perspective, femicide by intimate partners is rarely sudden but rather the culmination of escalating violence and control. The ILRC's intervention aims to ensure the perpetrator is punished, the victim is rehabilitated, and public awareness is raised to recognize the danger signs in romantic relationships.

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So they can't run, can't report, can't be independent, which ultimately strengthens the dependence of life and death on the perpetrator. This is very cruel.