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Activists on women's day highlight inequality
Jakarta Globe - March 9, 2011
Ronna Nirmala & Anita Rachman – Tuesday may have been the 100th celebration of International Women's Day, but in Indonesia the struggle for gender equity still has a long way to go.
Women earn less than men, are poorly represented in government, suffer in greater numbers from sexual harassment and violence, risk death during pregnancy and childbirth due to poor health care services, and are targets of religious fundamentalists.
These were some of the issues laid out by activists from several nongovernmental organizations banded together as the Indonesian Women's Front, as they demonstrated in front of the State Palace and appealed to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to improve the welfare of the nation's women.
Illustrating some of the difficulties they faced, activist Effrina played the role of a pregnant woman dying because of pollution from the Mahakam River in a theatrical demonstration of women's struggles in East Kalimantan.
Also performing was Sari, who played the role of a woman running away from Shariah Police in Aceh because she wasn't wearing a veil.
"We've done research in Aceh and surprisingly not all the women in Aceh want to wear a veil, because wearing a veil isn't something that can be forced, it comes from one's faith," said Ibeth, a member of antidiscrimination group Gadis.
"Not only that, Shariah law in Aceh also bans women from having a voice in the political arena," she added.
Lack of female political representation isn't a problem limited to just Aceh, however. Melani Leimena Suharli, deputy speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), said there were only 109 female lawmakers in the House of Representatives, or around 18 percent of the 560-member body.
Women only account for 16 percent of the Provincial Legislative Council (DPRD), and the figure is even lower at the district and municipality level, where there are 1,587 women representatives, of 12 percent of 15,758 total seats.
The figures, Melani said, were a far cry from the 30 percent quota for female representatives mandated by national law. Nurhayati Ali Assegaf, a female lawmaker, said that although more women were entering politics, they should fight to fill the 30 percent quota.
"Not only in the legislative, but also in the executive area," the Democratic Party legislator said. Among the over 30 ministers in the president's cabinet, only four are women.
But other activists said that instead of waiting for the government to take action, all women should take responsibility for improving the conditions they lived with.
"Indonesian women must understand and know their basic rights well," said Masruchah, the deputy chairwoman of the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan).
Masruchah said that many women in Indonesia were still laboring under the traditional mind-set that dictated that they should stay at home to take care of their families, and therefore had no need to pursue higher education.
"All women in Indonesia should know that they are equal before the law, they have the same right to get an education," she said. "Don't be afraid to speak or even fight for your rights."
Masruchah said empowering greater numbers of women would help reduce the cases of discrimination and violation of their rights.
"Of course, it needs good coordination between governments, related ministries, NGOs, public organizations, religious leaders, etc., to promote this to all women in Indonesia, especially in remote areas."
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