Crisis centers first step in overcoming trauma<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): She was once a cheerful girl and one of the
\nbrightest students in her school. Now the 16-year-old is in a
\nstate of shock and suffering very acute depression.<\/p>\n
This is the description of the teenager's mother, who with her
\ndaughter, a rape victim in the recent riots, managed to summon
\nthe courage to report the incident to a crisis center.<\/p>\n
The mother's simple description of herself speaks volumes: \"I
\nfeel terribly sad and I am probably going insane.\"<\/p>\n
Looking scared and frightened, the girl recalls her nightmare.
\nShe was raped by seven men when a mob ransacked homes of many
\nChinese-Indonesians at a housing complex in West Jakarta last
\nmonth.<\/p>\n
They grabbed her by the neck, she said, and dragged her out of
\nthe house. \"Then some of them ripped my blouse in front of an
\nangry mob. I cried for my parents' help, but those immoral guys
\nhad threatened to kill us all,\" she sobbed.<\/p>\n
She fell unconscious as the assault began. When she woke up,
\nnaked, she was covered in bruises and could only feel pain.<\/p>\n
The girl is among an unknown number of victims of the recent
\nriots. She and her mother chose to go to the crisis center run by
\nthe School of Psychology at the University of Indonesia (UI).<\/p>\n
While some women were killed after being raped and others have
\ntaken their own lives, women like the above teenager will have to
\nlive with the experience.<\/p>\n
Crisis centers here, which are relatively new, are at hand to
\nsupport and give what other help they can to the victims. Such
\nsupport will have to continue for an indefinite period, from the
\nreporting of a case until trial -- if, as in many cases, the
\nvictim does not drop the charges. The victim would still need
\nsupport after the experience is exposed to the public.<\/p>\n
The people in charge of these crisis centers seem to know what
\nthey, and the victims, are up against.<\/p>\n
Kristy E. Poerwandari, a psychologist at the UI crisis center,
\nsaid that victims of rape or other sexual violence are physically
\nand mentally fragile.<\/p>\n
Ratna Batara Munti of the Association of Indonesian Women for
\nJustice (APIK), is uncompromising in her belief that the legal
\nsystem here is still \"rich in gender bias.\" The head of the
\nresearch division of APIK's legal aid office said one result is
\nthat rape is underreported as a crime.<\/p>\n
Syndrome<\/p>\n
Kristy explained that the most frequent aftereffects for the
\nsexually tortured women are severe anxiety, sleeping disorder,
\nnightmares, apathy, loss of confidence, depression, and suicidal
\ninclinations. These are identified as the rape trauma syndrome.<\/p>\n
The victims need support and empathy from families, friends
\nand society, and need immediate professional help to reduce
\nimpacts caused by the trauma to a minimum, she said.<\/p>\n
\"These women and their families should know that there are
\nstill many who are willing to help, to protect them and to fight
\nfor their rights,\" Kristy said.<\/p>\n
She admitted that many people are ignorant about the current
\nrape issue, partly because victims are mostly from the minority
\ngroup.<\/p>\n
\"It does not mean that these women deserve less concern from
\nus and the authorities if they were sexually assaulted,\" she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
She went on to say that the School of Psychology's crisis
\ncenter provides professional assistance including psychological
\ncounseling for sexually assaulted women, families who were
\nattacked in the riots and also victims of mass layoffs.<\/p>\n
Other organizations are also offering victim support,
\ncounseling and legal representation.<\/p>\n
Sita Aripurnami, an executive of Kalyanamitra, said a working
\ngroup involving a number of non-government organizations and
\nhumanitarian activists was already established to help victims of
\nrape and other related crimes.<\/p>\n
Kalyanamitra has been active in promoting the rights of women
\nthrough education, information and advocacy.<\/p>\n
\"But now, we are facing an emergency situation in which women
\nhave become the most weak victims,\" said Sita.<\/p>\n
Sita acknowledged the opening of hot lines and counseling are
\nonly preliminary efforts to help ease the riot survivors' pain.<\/p>\n
Kalyanamitra has received a number of reports of rape cases
\nand will soon carry out integrated actions to deal with them.<\/p>\n
Dhanie L., coordinator of a fact-finding team, said that the
\ncrisis center where she works, Mitra Perempuan, has also received
\nreports from several rape victims and their families.<\/p>\n
\"All phone calls are treated confidentially and are followed
\nup with prompt action, including visiting women and families of
\nriot victims,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Mitra Perempuan is conducting its investigation into the
\nimpact of the riots in cooperation with other non-governmental
\nhumanitarian institutions such as the National Commission on
\nHuman Rights.<\/p>\n
The team is checking the number of casualties and victims of
\nrape, other sexual abuse and human rights violations.<\/p>\n
\"We find it very difficult to collect information both from
\nvictims and witnesses because they are still frightened to report
\nthe real facts,\" Dhanie said.<\/p>\n
She said that the women's crisis center, set up last year,
\nreceived a report from a mother and her 12-year old daughter who
\nwere raped by a group of looters in their own home in North
\nJakarta's housing complex. Her husband who tried to help them was
\nhanged by the mob.<\/p>\n
\"The mother told us that wives and daughters of her neighbors
\nwere also raped but they did not have any courage to report. We
\nassume that there are a lot more rape victims in the
\nneighborhood,\" Dhani said.<\/p>\n
As soon as they obtain valid data and adequate facts, Mitra
\nPerempuan plans to legally process all related criminal cases and
\neven sue the authorities who failed to protect citizens, she
\nadded.<\/p>\n
But legal victories may be very hard to achieve, says Ratna of
\nAPIK.<\/p>\n
Ratna described how legal actions consume both time and money,
\nespecially those involving women seek justice in the current
\nsystem for abuse for their rights.<\/p>\n
She explained that rape and other violence against women are
\nthe most underreported crimes, while the police and people in the
\nlocal legal system do not record such cases as crimes.<\/p>\n
\"Our legal system is still rich in gender bias against women
\ndue to a lack of understanding and appreciation toward women's
\nissues,\" Ratna maintained.<\/p>\n
In a rape case in court, for instance, she said women's
\naccounts were often disbelieved and undermined. Once a woman
\nreported the alleged rape, she would be drawn into a process from
\nwhich she could not withdraw. This could lead to contempt
\nproceedings and even possible imprisonment.<\/p>\n
\"Some rape victims have become defendants because (the court
\nsaid) they lacked evidence. This explains why so few alleged
\nrapists are convicted. Instead they are set free, possibly to
\nrape again,\" Ratna said.<\/p>\n
Despite these obstacles, Ratna encourages victims to reveal
\ntheir experiences and to allow their cases to be taken to court.<\/p>\n
\"We hope that women are brave enough to speak out for justice.
\nWe are here to provide them with moral support, legal aid and
\nprotection,\" she said.<\/p>\n
APIK, set up in 1995, has also been active in promoting the
\nwelfare of female workers, besides protecting and legally
\nrepresenting victims of domestic violence.<\/p>\n
APIK's legal aid office can be reached on 872-6343. Mitra
\nPerempuan can be contacted via P.O. BOX 4113 Jktj-Jakarta 13041.
\nTheir phone and facsimile number is 829-8421. Kalyanamitra's
\nphone numbers are 790-2109 and 790-2112, while the UI crisis
\ncenter's phone numbers are 788-81376 and 786-3523. (raw)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/crisis-centers-first-step-in-overcoming-trauma-1447893297",
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