A thought for the May rape victims

By Lynda Kurnia Wardhani

JAKARTA (JP): The damnable, shameful and barbaric actions of a group of people on May 13 and May 14 in Indonesia's capital and other cities resulted not only in material losses due to looting and arson but, more seriously, they also caused terrible pain and trauma for some very unfortunate women.

During the massive riots, rampant rapes and sexual assaults targeting mainly helpless women and children of ethnic Chinese origin and other communities took place. These sadistic rapes, reportedly conducted openly, often in front of members of the victims' own families, can be regarded as criminal acts against humanity.

The security vacuum during the riots pointed to the state as to blame and the negligence of civilian and military leaders in providing effective protection, which in turn allowed these sexual assaults to become widespread. These barbaric acts should be condemned and the authorities should conduct a thorough investigation into anyone suspected of involvement in this dreadful incident.

Some members of the community, particularly non-governmental organizations, responded in the aftermath of the tragedy by gathering facts, while others provided material and spiritual assistance. Reports claim that about 168 women, mostly Chinese- Indonesians, were raped, and 1,200 people died during the unrest.

While rape victims are struggling to deal with the nightmare, some women have decided to protect themselves against sexual assault by wearing chastity belts, known locally as antirape corsets, and purchasing self-defense devices such as tear gas sprays.

The phenomenon showed how intensive the violence against women was, both in small groups of the community and in public places.

As a personally traumatic act, rape is a political crime that occurs in a sociocultural context. It is sometimes used as a weapon to maintain men's domination over women.

Women are often thought of as easy targets by criminals. The number of crimes involving women as the main targets, such as rape, murder and looting, is notably increasing. In an unsafe societal condition, women are the most vulnerable to all kinds of crime because they are both personally and legally weak.

As a group, women are often oppressed. In her book, Justice and the Politics of Difference, Iris Marion Young divides forms of oppression into five categories -- exploitation, marginalization, powerlessness, cultural imperialism and violence.

Women undergo specific forms of gender exploitation, in which their energy and power are expended, often unnoticed and unacknowledged, usually to the benefit of men by releasing them for more important and creative work, enhancing their status or the environment around them, and providing them with sexual or emotional services.

Women are sometimes marginalized in society. They are expelled from useful participation in social life and thus potentially subject to severe material deprivation and even extermination.

Powerlessness also designates the weak position of women. They lack authority or power and they are positioned such that they must take orders and rarely have the right to give them.

Women seem to live under cultural imperialism. The difference between women and men makes men the dominant group.

As a group, women also suffer from systematic violence. They live in fear of the knowledge that they must face random, unprovoked attacks on their person or property, attacks which have no motive but to damage, humiliate or destroy them. Any woman has reason to fear rape. Sometimes, the motive may be a "simple" will to show power and to victimize women as a result of their vulnerability.

The five faces of oppression clearly describe the rape of those unfortunate women in May. Those women were sexually exploited, powerless to counter the sudden attacks, subjected to violence, seen as a marginalized group of women, mostly of Chinese descent, and pressed under cultural imperialism.

Sexual assault often starts with sexual abuse. Sexual abuse occurs whenever anyone with less maturity or power is tricked, trapped, coerced or bribed into a sexual experience. It occurs whenever anyone disempowered by a handicap, age or situation is involved in an activity which is sexually stimulating to the perpetrator and which the victim does not fully comprehend, or to which she is unable to give informed consent. The imbalance of power between the victim and the perpetrator is critical in the determination of abuse.

Based on religious beliefs, sexual assault is considered a major sin. But it can also be considered a sin from other points of view. Fortune (1983) observed that sexual assault is a multidimensional sin. It is a bodily sin which violates the bodily integrity of the victim and results in lifelong body- related issues for the victim. It is a relational sin which violates trust and destroys the possibility of a healthy relationship between the victim and others. It likewise makes it difficult for the victim to trust others and thus impedes all other current and future relationship. It is a social sin because it thrives in secretive situations which sustain abusive relationships and creates a destructive environment.

Even those not directly involved are affected by the abuse, such as family, religious circles and community members. And it is also a sexual sin because it distorts and misuses sexuality. Assault damages the victim's feelings about sexuality and leaves her with after effects which will change her ability to accept and express her sexuality long after the assault has ended.

Experiencing sexual violence has transformed the ill-fated victims and changed their lives forever. Once victimized, one can never again feel quite as invulnerable. As a member of society, the victim will experience a wide range of reactions: compassion and hostility, advocacy and abandonment, service and skepticism. Rape is a trauma, just like a major disaster such as tornado or a bad car accident. The shock usually causes some physical problems to develop afterwards. Although their enjoyment of life is less, they can live with their symptoms and cope.

This grievous condition has smitten the victims of the May riots. Agents of change are therefore well advised to initiate reform with regard to the adaptive qualities of communities and for the proactive and successive nature of lasting change.

A starting point for change lies in the assessment of local services and the identification of unmet needs. In community after community, the development of a comprehensive community response to rape relies on the efforts of local rape crisis centers. The women's crisis center Mitra Perempuan has made an outstanding effort to help the victims of rape and violence by listening to their complaints and offering counseling services. Besides, the center fights for women's rights as an integral part of respect for human values and basic rights whose existence has so far been denied.

There should also be community education programs to educate citizens about rape. Programs of this nature would demystify the crime, challenge rape-supportive belief systems and promote safety through enhanced rape awareness and self-defense skills. Rape avoidance programs could be also held to educate the public about rape, the risks of rape and strategies for avoiding, resisting or mitigating the brutality of rape. This is prevention through knowledge development attitude to change.

The May rapes have taught us a valuable lesson. Rape can no longer be considered to be simply a personal problem or an individual tragedy. It must instead be seen as common, normative and frighteningly logical in a patriarchal society. Ending sexual abuse requires that women be empowered to become emotionally strong and self respecting.

The writer is a postgraduate student at University of Indonesia in Jakarta.

Window: The May rapes have taught us a valuable lesson. Rape can no longer be considered to be simply a personal problem or an individual tragedy.