Activists protest violence against women

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)