A thought for the May rape victims<\/p>\n
By Lynda Kurnia Wardhani<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The damnable, shameful and barbaric actions of a
\ngroup of people on May 13 and May 14 in Indonesia's capital and
\nother cities resulted not only in material losses due to looting
\nand arson but, more seriously, they also caused terrible pain and
\ntrauma for some very unfortunate women.<\/p>\n
During the massive riots, rampant rapes and sexual assaults
\ntargeting mainly helpless women and children of ethnic Chinese
\norigin and other communities took place. These sadistic rapes,
\nreportedly conducted openly, often in front of members of the
\nvictims' own families, can be regarded as criminal acts against
\nhumanity.<\/p>\n
The security vacuum during the riots pointed to the state as
\nto blame and the negligence of civilian and military leaders in
\nproviding effective protection, which in turn allowed these
\nsexual assaults to become widespread. These barbaric acts should
\nbe condemned and the authorities should conduct a thorough
\ninvestigation into anyone suspected of involvement in this
\ndreadful incident.<\/p>\n
Some members of the community, particularly non-governmental
\norganizations, responded in the aftermath of the tragedy by
\ngathering facts, while others provided material and spiritual
\nassistance. Reports claim that about 168 women, mostly Chinese-
\nIndonesians, were raped, and 1,200 people died during the unrest.<\/p>\n
While rape victims are struggling to deal with the nightmare,
\nsome women have decided to protect themselves against sexual
\nassault by wearing chastity belts, known locally as antirape
\ncorsets, and purchasing self-defense devices such as tear gas
\nsprays.<\/p>\n
The phenomenon showed how intensive the violence against women
\nwas, both in small groups of the community and in public places.<\/p>\n
As a personally traumatic act, rape is a political crime that
\noccurs in a sociocultural context. It is sometimes used as a
\nweapon to maintain men's domination over women.<\/p>\n
Women are often thought of as easy targets by criminals. The
\nnumber of crimes involving women as the main targets, such as
\nrape, murder and looting, is notably increasing. In an unsafe
\nsocietal condition, women are the most vulnerable to all kinds of
\ncrime because they are both personally and legally weak.<\/p>\n
As a group, women are often oppressed. In her book, Justice
\nand the Politics of Difference, Iris Marion Young divides forms
\nof oppression into five categories -- exploitation,
\nmarginalization, powerlessness, cultural imperialism and
\nviolence.<\/p>\n
Women undergo specific forms of gender exploitation, in which
\ntheir energy and power are expended, often unnoticed and
\nunacknowledged, usually to the benefit of men by releasing them
\nfor more important and creative work, enhancing their status or
\nthe environment around them, and providing them with sexual or
\nemotional services.<\/p>\n
Women are sometimes marginalized in society. They are expelled
\nfrom useful participation in social life and thus potentially
\nsubject to severe material deprivation and even extermination.<\/p>\n
Powerlessness also designates the weak position of women. They
\nlack authority or power and they are positioned such that they
\nmust take orders and rarely have the right to give them.<\/p>\n
Women seem to live under cultural imperialism. The difference
\nbetween women and men makes men the dominant group.<\/p>\n
As a group, women also suffer from systematic violence. They
\nlive in fear of the knowledge that they must face random,
\nunprovoked attacks on their person or property, attacks which
\nhave no motive but to damage, humiliate or destroy them. Any
\nwoman has reason to fear rape. Sometimes, the motive may be a
\n\"simple\" will to show power and to victimize women as a result of
\ntheir vulnerability.<\/p>\n
The five faces of oppression clearly describe the rape of
\nthose unfortunate women in May. Those women were sexually
\nexploited, powerless to counter the sudden attacks, subjected to
\nviolence, seen as a marginalized group of women, mostly of
\nChinese descent, and pressed under cultural imperialism.<\/p>\n
Sexual assault often starts with sexual abuse. Sexual abuse
\noccurs whenever anyone with less maturity or power is tricked,
\ntrapped, coerced or bribed into a sexual experience. It occurs
\nwhenever anyone disempowered by a handicap, age or situation is
\ninvolved in an activity which is sexually stimulating to the
\nperpetrator and which the victim does not fully comprehend, or to
\nwhich she is unable to give informed consent. The imbalance of
\npower between the victim and the perpetrator is critical in the
\ndetermination of abuse.<\/p>\n
Based on religious beliefs, sexual assault is considered a
\nmajor sin. But it can also be considered a sin from other points
\nof view. Fortune (1983) observed that sexual assault is a
\nmultidimensional sin. It is a bodily sin which violates the
\nbodily integrity of the victim and results in lifelong body-
\nrelated issues for the victim. It is a relational sin which
\nviolates trust and destroys the possibility of a healthy
\nrelationship between the victim and others. It likewise makes it
\ndifficult for the victim to trust others and thus impedes all
\nother current and future relationship. It is a social sin because
\nit thrives in secretive situations which sustain abusive
\nrelationships and creates a destructive environment.<\/p>\n
Even those not directly involved are affected by the abuse,
\nsuch as family, religious circles and community members. And it
\nis also a sexual sin because it distorts and misuses sexuality.
\nAssault damages the victim's feelings about sexuality and leaves
\nher with after effects which will change her ability to accept
\nand express her sexuality long after the assault has ended.<\/p>\n
Experiencing sexual violence has transformed the ill-fated
\nvictims and changed their lives forever. Once victimized, one can
\nnever again feel quite as invulnerable. As a member of society,
\nthe victim will experience a wide range of reactions: compassion
\nand hostility, advocacy and abandonment, service and skepticism.
\nRape is a trauma, just like a major disaster such as tornado or a
\nbad car accident. The shock usually causes some physical problems
\nto develop afterwards. Although their enjoyment of life is less,
\nthey can live with their symptoms and cope.<\/p>\n
This grievous condition has smitten the victims of the May
\nriots. Agents of change are therefore well advised to initiate
\nreform with regard to the adaptive qualities of communities and
\nfor the proactive and successive nature of lasting change.<\/p>\n
A starting point for change lies in the assessment of local
\nservices and the identification of unmet needs. In community
\nafter community, the development of a comprehensive community
\nresponse to rape relies on the efforts of local rape crisis
\ncenters. The women's crisis center Mitra Perempuan has made an
\noutstanding effort to help the victims of rape and violence by
\nlistening to their complaints and offering counseling services.
\nBesides, the center fights for women's rights as an integral part
\nof respect for human values and basic rights whose existence has
\nso far been denied.<\/p>\n
There should also be community education programs to educate
\ncitizens about rape. Programs of this nature would demystify the
\ncrime, challenge rape-supportive belief systems and promote
\nsafety through enhanced rape awareness and self-defense skills.
\nRape avoidance programs could be also held to educate the public
\nabout rape, the risks of rape and strategies for avoiding,
\nresisting or mitigating the brutality of rape. This is prevention
\nthrough knowledge development attitude to change.<\/p>\n
The May rapes have taught us a valuable lesson. Rape can no
\nlonger be considered to be simply a personal problem or an
\nindividual tragedy. It must instead be seen as common, normative
\nand frighteningly logical in a patriarchal society. Ending sexual
\nabuse requires that women be empowered to become emotionally
\nstrong and self respecting.<\/p>\n
The writer is a postgraduate student at University of
\nIndonesia in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Window: The May rapes have taught us a valuable lesson. Rape can
\nno longer be considered to be simply a personal problem or an
\nindividual tragedy.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/a-thought-for-the-may-rape-victims-1447893297",
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