The Women’s Parliamentary Group of Timor-Leste (GMPTL) has made a submission to Parliament advocating for an amendment to article 172 of the penal code in order to prohibit incest.
GMPTL president Josefa Alvares Pereira Soares said the proposed amendment would provide a legal basis for prosecutors to take action against perpetrators of incest.
“Because incest is a specific case, it needs a law or specific article to regulate it but we need to modify article 172,” she said.
She said this was a matter of national concern as it affected the development of young people and Timor-Leste’s dignity as a predominantly Catholic nation.
Soares said President Taur Matan Ruak agreed with the initiative as he was also concerned about incidences of incest in Timor-Leste.
Judicial System Monitoring Program (JSMP) statistics show that 49 cases of incest were prosecuted by the courts between 2010 and 2012. National media reported many more instances of incest in 2013 and 2014.
Some victims of incest had no choice but to spend long periods of time at shelter homes to either give birth to resulting children or await an outcome in court.
Member of Parliament Maria Adozinha Pires da Silva said incest adversely affected young women’s future.
“We need to modify this law in order to have a strong legal basis to prosecute these perpetrators,” she said.
“We’re working with legal organizations such as JSMP and others to carry out advocacy across all levels to take action on this situation and to criminalize this abhorrent action.”
The Republic General Prosecutor has submitted the proposed amendments to the Ministry of Justice.
Legal Assistance for Women and Children (AlFeLa) director Merlita Correia recognized that it was difficult for judges to make rulings against the perpetrators of incest as it was not specifically outlawed in the penal code.
