Indonesian President Joko Widodo's move to add executions to a possible list of harsher punishments to face child sex offenders is populist and short-sighted, human rights activists say.  Describing the situation of violence against children in Indonesia as an "increasing emergency", the president announced on Wednesday a government regulation that will give immediate power to the courts to enact harsher penalties to convicted child sex offenders.  Among the changes is the inclusion of the death penalty for someone convicted of sexual intercourse with a child in the situation where they cause their victim serious injury, mental disturbance, infectious disease, death or the loss of reproductive functions.  Under certain circumstances, a judge could also order chemical castration, microchip implants as well as the "public punishment" of revealing the crime and identity of the sex offender.  "This government regulation in lieu of laws is meant to overcome the emergency caused by sexual violence to children which has increased significantly," the president, referred to as Jokowi, said when announcing the changes late on Wednesday.  Haris Azhar of rights group KontraS has attacked the measure saying the government has not been able to present any evidence to suggest that the country is facing an "emergency" of sexual violence against children, nor that harsher penalties will prevent offending.  The term "emergency" has also been used to justify the executions of drug traffickers with little evidence of its effect, he said.  Mr Azhar argued that violence against children and women was an "institutional problem" in Indonesia and that the government should be looking at ways of changing people's mindsets and tackling sexism and discrimination, rather than enacting harsher punishments.  "The burden is only on the perpetrators ... (This change) is not looking at the bigger problem," he told AAP.  He accused Jokowi of enacting the changes in a bid for "popularity".  The changes come as activists pushed for harsher penalties for sex offenders after the death of 14-year-old Yuyun, whose battered and bound body was found near her school in Bengkulu, Sumatra last month.  Police say the 14-year-old had left school at around lunchtime on April 2 when she was snatched, gang raped and strangled.  Earlier this month seven youths, who were the first to be tried over the case, were each sentenced to 10 years in prison for the offences of rape and violence causing death.  Her other alleged attackers remain before the courts.  After the attack made national headlines, Adriana Venny, from the women's group Komnas Perempuan, noted they had placed a draft bill before parliament seeking to widen Indonesia's limited definition of rape and include further sex offences but that it had been languishing in the "temporary list" in parliament for more than two years.
Child sex offenders in Indonesia could face execution and chemical castration under a host of harsher penalties announced by the government.