Underreporting of domestic violence in indonesia: a normative legal analysis of reporting barriers and victim protection (2004–2026)

  • Sumiyati Sumiyati 
    Universitas Singaperbangsa Karawang
    Indonesia
  • Indra Yudha Koswara
    Universitas Singaperbangsa Karawang
    Indonesia
  • Wahyu Donri Tinambunan
    Universitas Singaperbangsa Karawang
    Indonesia
  • I Ketut Astawa
    Universitas Singaperbangsa Karawang
    Indonesia

Abstract

Domestic violence remains a legal and access-to-justice problem because incidents recorded by formal services do not necessarily represent all violence experienced by victims. This study analyzes how documented reporting barriers may disconnect victims from legal protection mechanisms in Indonesia and formulates a legally grounded model for strengthening access to protection. The study uses normative (doctrinal) legal research with statutory and conceptual approaches, examining the Indonesian legal framework in force by September 2026. Primary legal materials comprise Law Number 23 of 2004 on the Elimination of Domestic Violence, Government Regulation Number 4 of 2006 on the Organization and Cooperation for the Recovery of Domestic Violence Victims, and Law Number 3 of 2026 on the Protection of Witnesses and Victims. Official SIMFONI PPA materials are used only as administrative context. A structured supplementary search of PubMed and Google Scholar identified peer-reviewed studies on domestic/intimate partner violence reporting and help-seeking, principally from 2015–2025, with a 2026 systematic review included to capture the latest synthesis. Legal norms were extracted and interpreted doctrinally, while reported barriers in the supporting literature were thematically mapped into five analytical clusters and compared with available protection mechanisms. The synthesis identifies five interrelated clusters: normalization of violence as a private matter; economic dependence and unequal power relations; fear of perpetrators and repeated violence; family pressure, children-related concerns, and stigma; and limited information or institutional access. These barriers can operate before formal reporting and therefore expose a gap between legally guaranteed rights and practical access to those rights. The study proposes a four-stage protection model covering pre-reporting, reporting, protection and handling, and recovery/access to justice. Because no primary victim data were collected, the study does not estimate the prevalence or causal magnitude of underreporting; empirical studies and SIMFONI PPA data are used only to contextualize the doctrinal analysis.

Keywords
  • Underreporting
  • Domestic violence
  • Victims
  • Legal protection
  • Acces to justice
Lisensing Information
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite
Sumiyati, S., Koswara, I. Y., Tinambunan, W. D., & Astawa, I. K. (2026). Underreporting of domestic violence in indonesia: a normative legal analysis of reporting barriers and victim protection (2004–2026) . Lentera Negeri, 7(1), 1871–1890. https://doi.org/10.29210/993700
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