A blot on our record
It is easy to assert that the riots that swept through Jakarta from May 13 to May 15 were the most savage the Indonesian capital has seen in as long as most Jakartans can remember. Everybody witnessed or watched on TV some of the violence, looting and burning that killed more than 1,000 people and caused immeasurable damage in terms of lives disrupted and property lost. But recent reports of heinous crimes that most Jakartans did not see or even imagine could occur -- the physical abuse, rape and public humiliation committed against innocent women during the rioting -- have considerably raised the degree of revulsion felt over the events of those days.
The women's rights group Mitra Perempuan, in a statement made last week by its executive director Rita Serena Kolibonso, said the long litany of reports it had received of sexual abuse and public humiliation committed against women, especially those of Chinese descent, had prompted it to launch its own investigation into the alleged incidents. Kolibonso said dozens of such incidents had been uncovered so far and that the list was likely to grow to more than a hundred despite the fact that police have yet to log a single case of sexual abuse from the time of the riots.
Most of the assaults reportedly took place in West Jakarta, where some of the worst violence occurred during the three days of rioting. In one incident, a mob reportedly stripped and molested a number of Chinese-Indonesian women, who were then forced to swim in a stagnant pond. In another, a number of women were gang-raped in front of a crowd of onlookers in the city's Glodok business district, where dozens of others were molested in their homes. "I believe, these brutal acts were done by an organized group," Kolibonso said.
Jakarta City Police spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang, while encouraging victims to report such cases, said it would not be easy -- due to "basic investigation obstacles" -- for the police to solve all the sexual abuse cases from last month's riots. For one thing, the police have yet to receive any formal accusations or reports of sexual abuse during the recent riots. One classic obstacle in this country to the quick resolution of sexual abuse cases against women is the fact that the victims or their families are usually too embarrassed to report such cases to the authorities. Another problem at this point is the fact that more than three weeks have passed since the incidents, making it difficult for police to collect accurate information and evidence.
Aritonang's explanation may be difficult to contradict from a technical point of view, but it is obvious that action must be taken. A full investigation of the incidents must be carried out despite the obstacles. Perhaps the police could utilize the help and expertise of non-governmental organizations or concerned citizens groups such as Mitra Perempuan. Given the traditional attitudes that still prevail in most Indonesian families, Mitra Perempuan's projection that more than a hundred sexual abuse cases may come to light could be only a fraction of the actual number of incidents that occurred.
The crimes committed reek too much of the ethnic cleansing tactics employed by racists elsewhere in the world, particularly if they were carried out by an organized group. Such outrageous acts must not go unpunished. Our law enforcers and legislators must also admit that our people's traditional prudishness is only one factor that discourages victims of sexual abuse to speak out and seek justice. Another factor is the laxness of our traditionally male-oriented society and its laws that make it less than worthwhile for such victims to come forward.
It is high time that we change our attitudes if we are to build a civilized society for ourselves, for our sons and for our daughters.