A regency in the west of Java has ordered that boys and girls be taught in separate classrooms, in co-ed schools.

The regency of Pandeglang, at the westernmost tip of Java in the province of Banten, issued a decree at the start of the school year declaring that boys and girls were to be separated in school in order to guard against moral degradation. Regent Dimyati Natakusumah’s decree is currently being drafted into a by-law.

A group called the Coalition Against Discriminatory Bylaws has complained, according to the Jakarta Post, that the decree is discriminatory and a violation of the constitution. Dedi Ali Ahmad, a member of the Coalition, and the chairman of the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights, said that the decree forced particular beliefs on the public and thus constituted a denial of the pluralism to be found among Indonesians.

He claimed further that the decree contravened Article 28 of the Consitution, which states that every person has the right to freedom of belief, to express their thoughts and attitudes in accordance with their conscience.

He added:

It also contravenes the 1984 International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the 1998 Human Rights Law.

Since the passing of the 2001 Regional Autonomy Law, which gave authority to local administrations to issue their own regulations, several regencies and municipalities have issued laws which some claim are based on Islamic sharia.