Activists protest violence against women

JAKARTA (JP): Some 150 protesters, mostly from the Women's Coalition Against Violence, took to the streets on Friday to protest violence against women. The protest coincided with the International Day of Anti-Violence Against Women, which falls on Nov. 24.

The 30-minute demonstration started with the protesters marching from Tugu Proklamasi Monument on Jl. Proklamasi, Central Jakarta, to the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta at about 2 p.m.

The protesters unfurled banners and posters reiterating their call to stop all violence against women. The banners and posters read "stop violence against women" and "collective action toward a society without violence".

In its statement, the coalition lashed out at the government for failing to protect women from all types of violence.

The coalition said the government even legalized violence against women, citing the deliberation of the bill on rape. The group condemned the bill, which stipulates that rape was only regarded as a crime against morality, and not ruled as a crime against humanity.

Failure

The government was also criticized for its failure to solve cases involving violence against women, including rape and other kinds of sexual assault reported during the May 1998 riots.

The coalition, comprising groups of women's organizations such as Kalyanamitra and Jaringan Mitra Perempuan, urged that the government create "favorable instruments of law", which would be able to diminish violence against women.

The government was also urged to investigate and prosecute any parties conducting violence against women and to establish equality and justice before the law.

The government should also create a control mechanism in the promotion of government officials, the coalition said.

After staging the demonstration, the protesters dispersed peacefully, marching back to Tugu Proklamasi, some two kilometers from the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle. (asa)