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Inclusive approach to stop sexual violence
Jakarta Globe - February 18, 2014
Dhyta Caturani, coordinator of the One Billion Rising campaign in Jakarta, described the increased participation by men as "a big achievement for us."
The global campaign, launched last year and initiated by Eve Ensler's V-Day, sees flash mobs appearing in cities around the world on Feb. 14 in an effort to raise awareness of violence against women. It also encourages participation and support from men.
Dhyta expressed concern about the protection victims of sexual violence enjoy with regard to the punishment of the perpetrators. "Victims know the law won't protect them," she said.
The lack of just punishment against perpetrators can deter the victims from coming forward and reporting incidents of sexual assault, she said. Dhyta feels that longer sentences for perpetrators would help women feel more at ease to not only speak up about sexual violence, but also to feel safer in future with the threat removed.
In 2012, over 200 cases of violence against women were reported in Indonesia. That figure increased by 181 percent from the year before. According to the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan), 35 women become victims of sexual violence in Indonesia every day.
Although it is a positive sign that more women are coming forward to report such cases of abuse, Dhyta says there are likely many more victims that choose to remain silent for fear of retribution or being stigmatized.
She says men who commit violence must be held accountable. "For too long, issues of violence against women were considered a women's issue. Those who commit violence are mostly men, so the issues of violence against women are also their issues, our issues, of a whole society."
One Billion Rising takes its name from a United Nations World Health Organization statistic, which states that one out of three women in the world will experience sexual violence or harassment in her life. The campaign's theme for this year is "Rise for Justice," with a focus of getting justice for the victims of violence.
"This year we want to reach out to victims to say 'you are not alone, we are here, we will stand and fight for you to get the justice that you deserve,'?" Dhyta said.
Partnerships
Siska Dewi Noya, program manager for gender-based violence at Rutgers WPF, agrees on the importance of working with men to help change Indonesia's views about violence against women and decrease cases of physical or sexual abuse. "We think engaging men as the partner, as an ally of the women's movement to end gender-based violence is a good strategy," she said.
The center of expertise on sexual and reproductive health and rights is in partnership with the MenCare+ campaign, which supports men promoting gender equality and who oppose violence against women, through advocacy, counseling and research.
The MenCare+ campaign is a three-year, four-country collaboration between Indonesia, Brazil, Rwanda and South Africa. The organization works with men who have violent histories, particularly domestic violence and aims to rehabilitate them through campaigns and support networks.
"The issue is how to change these values of masculinity, how to change the bad image of masculinity into a positive one," Siska said. She expressed concern over progress in efforts to address violence against women because of the cultural attitudes towards the issue in Indonesia.
"The culture in Indonesia is such that nobody really wants to talk about it. The issue of domestic violence is still considered a big shame and a taboo," Siska said.
According to her, many women don't come forward to report cases of domestic violence because they are financially dependent on their husbands. "It would be a shame for the family if a woman put her husband in jail," she said.
Siska believes that violent behavior in men can be traced back to their upbringing and a lack of knowledge about household duties and gender roles. But she says programs and campaigns such as MenCare+ can help change the roles and attitudes of men in households. She hopes that MenCare+ can promote "the positive image of men that can be enforced as a good partner, good father and good man."
The 2014 One Billion Rising for justice flash mob was due to be held around the world on Friday last week. Last year the Jakarta event attracted around 400 people. This year, although it was hard to estimate how many people would have joined the cause, Dhyta was hopeful that the message would be heard regardless.
"It doesn't matter how many people participate, what is important to us is that the message gets out. "We just want to reach out to common people, common folks. This movement is yours, this movement is ours."
One Billion Rising is an independent organization that depends on social and mainstream media to raise awareness and support for violence victims.
Dhyta says the media contributes immensely to One Billion Rising's campaigns. "I've been an activist for 20 years and I've never seen support like this from the media," she said.
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