In Aceh (which applies Sharia law), non-mahram (unrelated) couples caught alone or showing affection face public caning. In Bali or Jakarta’s nightlife districts, enforcement is looser. Issue 2: Dating (Pacaran) – The Legal & Moral Gray Zone Official stance: Indonesia has no national law against dating, but many local bylaws (Perda) regulate "close proximity" between unmarried couples.

Is it against a written law (local Perda, national Criminal Code) or against adat /etiquette? The former can lead to arrest, the latter to social shunning.

These gatherings are seen as "premarital sin zones" by moral authorities. Raids are common. Yet for young people, it’s often the only unsupervised social time available.

Police? Village elders (RT/RW)? Religious vigilantes? Campus security? Each has different authority.