Activists say 2002 a year of defeat for women

Activists say 2002 a year of defeat for women

Debbie A. Lubis, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The gloomy reality for Indonesian women in 2002 should be
addressed by women themselves through their active participation
in social, political, economical and cultural aspects of life, a
noted activist has said.

Nursyahbani Katjasungkana, the secretary-general of the
Indonesian Women's Coalition (KPI), said that women needed to
empower themselves in order to be able to articulate their
interests and develop social protection without relying on the
state.

"This year is a year of defeat for women and ironically it
occurs under a government led by a woman. We are not pessimistic
(about our struggle) although we are a bit disappointed. We will
continue our struggle next year," she said.

Nursyahbani was speaking on the sidelines of a discussion on
the country's performance in addressing women in 2002. The
discussion was organized by KPI, a coalition of 15 different
interest groups.

KPI said in its report released on Saturday that women had
continued to fall victim to sexual exploitation, the worst forms
of labor, domestic violence and gender-biased rulings, while the
government was indecisive about granting appropriate legal
protection to women.

The report said that 72.8 percent of the country's migrant
workers were women and that they were prone to physical and
sexual abuse.

KPI also recorded that some 70,000 girls and women had become
victims of sexual abuse and people trafficking this year, while
women also made up the 600,000 illegal migrant workers deported
from Malaysia this year.

Some rulings in certain regions also restrict women in what
they can wear. "Even the bill on antipornography underlines that
women should wear appropriate dress considering the occasion and
certain customs," Nursyahbani said.

However, she said the biggest defeat that women had suffered
this year was a rejection by President Megawati Soekarnoputri and
the House of Representatives (DPR) of a provision for a 30-
percent quota of women to occupy seats in the legislative,
executive and judicial branches.

"The increase of women in the legislature is a powerful tool
that enables women to not only contribute to changes within
policies but to also participate in the policy-making processes.
I hope our struggle will not be in vain because of the
rejection," she said.

Nursyahbani said it would take time to change a patriarchal
culture and way of thinking. She said that the struggle for
female representation was not related to gender since women were
often marginalized in the decision-making process.

"That's why dialogs with people from every walk of life are
needed but it is not an instant process. Civic education will
also help women to exercise their rights rationally," she said.

Nursyahbani ruled out the possibility of political parties
taking advantage of women's issues in their campaigns for the
2004 general election.

"This suspicion has been raised, but I'm sure it can be a good
start for raising awareness for the urgency to increase women's
representation," she said.

Separately, Lily Widjadja, the country director of New York-
based brokerage Merrill Lynch, said that it was important for
women to see themselves as human beings in leading their lives.

"We are the same as men, we have strengths and limitations --
I do not say weaknesses. I refuse to accept any privileges just
because I am a woman. No, thank you very much; I'm ready to
compete with anyone to achieve anything," she told The Jakarta
Post.

Lily is also a commissioner of the Jakarta Stock Exchange and
the secretary-general of the Association of Indonesian Stock
Companies.

She said that it was true that men were dominant in all
aspects of life but it was not clear whether the mass
representation of men was because of the gender issue.

"Having a quota of representation might be helpful for
empowering women but it is not necessary. It's a matter of how we
are perceived as a person and both women and men complement each
other. My achievements are because of my capabilities and
abilities," Lily said.