Abuse victims reluctant to speak out
Abuse victims reluctant to speak out
ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya
Her answers are barely audible and her eyes cast down at the
floor as she holds tightly to the arms of her chair.
"I realized that I had been deceived for much of my married
life," Ratna Hastuti (not her real name), 45, from Jember, East
Java, told The Jakarta Post. "I will never forgive my husband for
neglecting our children."
Ratna, the mother of four, is a victim of domestic abuse.
She first learned of her husband's "other life" when a man
arrived on her doorstep and introduced himself as her husband
Karyono's son. His name was Totok and it was clear from his age,
29, that her husband had been unfaithful for some time. Totok
said the marriage had taken place in Jakarta.
"The news was a shock," Ratna said.
A second blow came when Totok informed her that Karyono, whom
she married in 1975, had married three other times.
Ratna confronted her husband but his response was cold rather
than apologetic and he threatened to leave her.
"I would have left him then but for my children," she said.
Ratna counted on her husband mending his ways when she
decided to give the marriage a second chance.
Karyono, who owns a construction company in Jakarta, grew
more distant and neglected their children. When he married a
fifth time she filed for divorce.
"Excuse me for saying so but I now consider my husband dead,"
she said.
The Pro-Democracy Women's Commission (KPPD), a non-
governmental organization advocating women's rights,
has recorded an increase in the number of domestic violence cases
among the province's 17 million women.
"There were 194 domestic violence cases in East Java in 2005,
and the number could rise even more because many women are still
unaware of their rights," the group's chairperson Erma Susanti
told the Post.
Most of the women were beaten, confined to the home,
threatened, neglected or forced into prostitution, or subjected
to other kinds of abuse by their husbands.
Of the 194 cases, Surabaya ranks top with 52 cases, followed
by Malang with 33 cases and Banyuwangi, Nganjuk, Pacitan and
Tulungagung with one case each.
"I believe more cases of domestic abuse exist in small cities
but have gone unnoticed because the victims are reluctant to
report the case to the police as they regard the matter a 'risk
of marriage'," said Erma.
Many domestic abuse victims are unwilling to talk about their
experiences, let alone file a report.
Three women the Post approached for an interview said they
were too traumatized to speak about their years of abuse.
Besides domestic abuse, women are also the victims of
rape -- including date rape -- sexual harassment, trafficking and
abuse by authorities in prostitution cases.
Rape ranks highest with 324 cases, followed by sexual
harassment with 71 cases, abuse by authorities with 50 cases,
date rape with 40 cases and trafficking with 12 cases.
The high number of abuse cases against women, particularly
housewives, is proof of the ineffectiveness of Law. No. 23 on
domestic violence, enacted in 2004.
The KPPD has suggested that all parties, including the
government and the public, continue to promote awareness and
enforce the law.
"Without publicity and effective law enforcement, women,
including housewives, will continue to face violence at home,"
said Erma.