Women-linked issues need serious attention<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Women activists lamented yesterday the lack of
\nserious efforts towards overcoming the country's high maternity
\nmortality rate, gender inequality and reproduction health
\nproblems.<\/p>\n
Saparinah Sadli, head of the Women's Studies Program at the
\nUniversity of Indonesia's Post Graduate School, said programs
\nwhich aim to improve the condition of women currently exist, but
\nin implementation the programs have fallen short of expectation.<\/p>\n
For instance medical workers only examine babies, and mothers
\nare ignored in monthly checkups. \"It's never occurred to them
\n(medical workers) that mothers need the same attention as their
\nbabies,\" Saparinah told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Earlier, Saparinah had addressed participants of the symposium
\non Safe Motherhood. The four-day symposium co-organized by the
\nIndonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), the United Nations
\nChildren's Fund (Unicef) and the Central Bureau of Statistics
\nconcluded yesterday.<\/p>\n
Government officials, women activists, and non-governmental
\norganizations members attended the symposium.<\/p>\n
She praised the government for initiating national children's
\nwelfare campaigns, such as the Oct. 15 anti-polio vaccination
\nprogram.<\/p>\n
\"Unfortunately, there are few programs which directly address
\nwomen's issues,\" Saparinah said.<\/p>\n
Women not only need care during pregnancy, but should be given
\nhealth education from childhood onwards.<\/p>\n
Syamsiah Achmad, a former assistant to the State Minister of
\nWomen's Roles, suggested to the symposium that health education
\nand reproductive health be taught in schools.<\/p>\n
\"I don't suggest we teach children about sex, but I want them
\nto understand the responsibilities of parenthood,\" Syamsiah said.<\/p>\n
Male students should know that women face different health
\nproblems, and they should be well prepared for parenthood, she
\nsaid. \"They (students) should take equal responsibility for
\nraising their children and taking care of their families,\"
\nSyamsiah said.<\/p>\n
Mely G. Tan, underlined the need for all people, not only
\nwomen, to pay more attention to gender sensitive issues.<\/p>\n
In some countries women are treated differently from men, even
\nbefore they are born. In one country some pregnant women try to
\nabort their fetus if they know the baby is female.<\/p>\n
\"Here, we should realize women are also treated differently
\nbecause traditionally, men are considered superior,\" Mely, LIPI's
\nsenior researcher, said.<\/p>\n
People give higher priority to educating men and men have
\nbetter access to information, she said, adding it will take years
\nto change this practice.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, women are not excluded in data gathering, she
\nsaid. Data collected by the Central Bureau of Statistics is very
\nimportant in revealing gender inequality.<\/p>\n
The 1990 Census shows that of the country's 179,321,641
\npeople, 89,873,406 were women. Some 8 percent of women and 4
\npercent of men were illiterate, according to census data.<\/p>\n
On the political front, 62 Of the 500 members of the House of
\nrepresentatives are women and \"only\" 40 of the 500 members of the
\nPeople's Consultative Assembly are women.<\/p>\n
There are only two women in the 39-member cabinet: State
\nMinister of Women's Roles Mien Sugandhi and Minister of Social
\nServices Inten Suweno.<\/p>\n
Indonesia ratified the Convention on the Elimination of all
\nforms of Discrimination Against Women in 1984, as part of the
\ngovernment's commitment to gender equality. (ste)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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