Legislative Reform Efforts to Ensure Child Protection and Comprehensive Handling of Sexual Violence

This study looks at legal and legislative reform initiatives aimed at protecting Indonesian children from sexual assault. Despite having a solid legal foundation thanks to laws like Law Number 35 of 2014 concerning Child Protection, the Criminal Code, the Pornography Law, and the Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law, the field still faces a number of challenges, such as protracted and traumatic court proceedings for victims, a lack of child-friendly procedures, a lack of agency coordination, and social, cultural, and financial barriers. Sexual abuse has a multifaceted effect on children, including psychological trauma, societal stigma, and the difficulty of the legal system. This research examines laws and regulations using a normative juridical perspective, court decisions, and related scientific literature. The results indicate that revising the Child Protection Law, developing operational implementing regulations, strengthening criminal sanctions, integrating prevention and rehabilitation mechanisms for victims, and implementing child-friendly judicial procedures are important steps to increase the effectiveness of child protection. This study concludes that legislative reform must be supported by increased capacity of law enforcement officials, cross-sectoral coordination, and public awareness so that children's rights can be fully fulfilled and children are protected from sexual violence.