A blot on our record
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.