Indonesia has adopted a law prohibiting having sex outside of marriage Indonesia's parliament has approved a new criminal code that bans...

Indonesia has adopted a law prohibiting having sex outside of marriage

Indonesia's parliament has approved a new criminal code that bans anyone in the country from having sex outside of marriage and limits political freedom.

The new laws will not come into force for another three years, and there are expected to be court challenges.

The changes come after a rise in religious conservatism in the Muslim-majority country.

Several groups of young people protested against the laws outside the parliament in Jakarta this week.

Under the new laws - which will also apply to foreigners visiting Bali and other Indonesian holiday destinations - unmarried couples can be jailed for up to a year for having sex.

They are also banned from living together - an act for which people can be jailed for up to six months.

Adultery will also be a crime for which people can be imprisoned.

Ajeng, a 28-year-old Muslim woman who lives in the city of Depok in West Java, said she is now in danger because she has been living with her boyfriend for the past five years.

"With the new law, we can both go to jail if one of the family decides to report to the police," she told the BBC.

''What if there is one family member who has a problem with me and decides to send me to jail?'' I think living together or having sex outside of marriage is not a mistake. In my religion, it is considered a sin. But I don't think the criminal code should be based on a particular religion.''

She said she joined the nationwide protests in 2019 when the law was first passed.