Indonesia

Indonesia's new Criminal Code (UU No. 1/2023, "KUHP Nasional") entered into force on 2 January 2026 after a three-year transition period, replacing the 1918 Dutch colonial KUHP. Article 411 criminalises consensual sex outside marriage with up to one year of imprisonment or a fine of IDR 10 million; Article 412 criminalises unmarried cohabitation with up to six months. Both are complaint-based ("delik aduan") — only a legal spouse, parent, or child of one of the parties may lodge a complaint. Article 296 (criminalising those who facilitate "obscene conduct" by others as a habit or livelihood) is preserved in substance, and new Articles 420 and 421 criminalise the "promotion of obscene acts" without requiring any complaint, giving police a direct enforcement lever against online advertisers, pimps and procurers. Article 506 (living off prostitution) carries over. Aceh Province is exempt under Law No. 11/2006 and continues to enforce Qanun Aceh No. 6/2014 (Qanun Jinayat), under which zina (sex outside marriage) carries 100 lashes with no monetary alternative because it is Quranic, enforced by the Wilayatul Hisbah (Sharia police) and Mahkamah Syar'iyah.

The historic system of lokalisasi (state-tolerated red-light zones) was systematically dismantled over 2002–2019. Jakarta's Kramat Tunggak closed in 2002; Surabaya's Dolly — once Southeast Asia's largest red-light complex with 52 brothels — was closed by Mayor Tri Rismaharini in June 2014; Bandung's Saritem, Semarang's Sunan Kuning, and dozens of other lokalisasi followed. Sex work persisted but dispersed: it now operates through "boarding homes," karaoke/spa fronts, freelance street work, and online platforms (WhatsApp, Telegram, MiChat). In Aceh, public caning continues, though under Governor Regulation No. 5/2018 it must now be carried out inside correctional facilities rather than in public squares; a January 2026 case saw a couple receive 60 and 80 lashes for zina and alcohol consumption. Bali, despite tourism-industry assurances, follows the national KUHP — there is no carve-out.

The ITE Law (UU No. 11/2008, last amended Law No. 1/2024) is the primary digital risk: Article 27(1) read with Article 45(1) criminalises distribution of electronic content "violating morality," routinely used against sex workers and pimps advertising online, with sentences of up to 4 years. UU PDP (Law No. 27/2022, sanctions fully enforceable since 16 October 2024) nominally protects personal data but the data-protection authority is still not established. Phone searches of tourists on arrival in Bali have happened in moralised cases, and sexually explicit content found on a device can independently trigger Pornography Law charges (Law No. 44/2008).

For Bali short-stay foreign tourists, practical risk from Article 411 remains low because the complaint mechanism requires a spouse, parent, or child of a participant to file a report — a chain rarely present for a holiday encounter. However, Articles 420/421 (promotion) do NOT require a complaint, so anyone advertising or arranging paid services online while in Indonesia is exposed at full enforcement discretion. Foreign workers face the harshest pathway: detention, prosecution, imprisonment, then deportation and indefinite Imigrasi blacklist. Avoid Aceh entirely — non-Muslim foreigners can still be detained, deported, and prosecuted under national law. Embassies updated their Indonesia advisories in late 2025 specifically flagging the 2 January 2026 KUHP entry into force.

No safe public platforms. Tryst and similar international directories are accessible but expose advertisers to Art 420/421 and ITE Art 27(1). Local discovery happens predominantly on MiChat, WhatsApp, and Telegram via word-of-mouth and closed groups.

• OPSI (Organisasi Perubahan Sosial Indonesia) — national SW-led network, 19 provinces
• Indonesian AIDS Coalition (IAC) — HIV/STI services + policy
• LBH Jakarta — pro bono legal defence
• APNSW — Asia Pacific Network of Sex Workers (OPSI is the Indonesian member)