Thankfully the Indonesian government has recently rejected a lawmaker's proposal to subject girls to virginity tests before they can enter public high schools. Unfortunately that lawmaker is from my former residence in Jambi and was very serious in proposing this policy as a viable response to the perceived increase in premarital sex. When I was in Jambi working on women's reproductive health issues, youth pregnancy was a serious issue we dealt with and a major article came out last spring about the shockingly high rate of premarital sex in Jambi, so I understand the concern. Still, this proposal is appalling and would be a gross violation of women's rights. How were they planning to address high school boys?
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