Cases of violence against women increase

Cases of violence against women increase

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

What a parrot says can tell you something about its master.
A parrot kept at former president Soeharto's home reportedly
still greeted its owner with "Good morning, Mr. President" every
single day.

Meanwhile, a certain parrot kept at a house in Bekasi, West
Java, portrays a sad reality that sometimes occurs between a
husband and a wife.

"Stupid! You pig!" the parrot shrieked, repeating the words of
his master "Adi", 46, who frequently yells the words to his 43-
year old wife, "Lisa", while also beating her.

Lisa said she had often considered divorce, but always
relented whenever her husband begged for forgiveness.

The beatings have become less frequent now that the couple are
planning to go on the haj pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, this
year, although the verbal abuse has continued.

"I have become frigid and numb," said Lisa, adding that she
only stayed because of her two teenage children.

Lisa's case is just another example of violence against women
in Indonesia, which the National Commission on Violence Against
Women (Komnas Perempuan) said continues to increase every year,
with the highest prevalence being domestic violence.

Released on Monday, Komnas Perempuan's report shows that at
least 3,160 cases of violence against women were recorded across
the country in 2001. The number increased to 5,163 cases a year
later, and 7,787 cases in 2003.

In 2004, the number of cases almost doubled to 14,020 cases.

Of the 14,020 cases, 4,310 were acts of domestic violence,
2,470 occurred within the community, 6,634 in households, 562
were female trafficking cases, and the remaining 302 were acts of
violence by state personnel.

The report was supported by data gathered by 43 women's
organizations in 14 provinces, 70 district courts in 20
provinces, two religious courts in two provinces, 28 women's
desks (RPK) at Police headquarters in 28 provinces, 11 hospitals
in nine provinces and the Attorney General's Office.

Komnas Perempuan activist Myra Diarsi said the institutions
dealing with cases of violence against women had shown some
improvement in the way that they handled them.

Their filing systems have also improved and they have been
more willing to share data to establish a more comprehensive and
nation-wide database, she added.

"The fact that these institutions function better is
heartening. Other victims are then encouraged to report their
cases," Myra said.

However, she added, the reported cases still represented the
tip of the iceberg, with many more cases not being reported.

Aside from domestic violence, women continue to fall victim in
wider circumstances, politically, socially and financially.

The deadly clashes between the local administration and
farmers in Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara, for instance, caused
many women to lose their husbands. However, as widows are not
recognized as breadwinners, they also lost rights to their lands,
leaving them penniless.

Other prominent cases involved violence against migrant
workers, trafficking and abuse of women in conflict areas, such
as Aceh, Maluku and Poso in Central Sulawesi, as well as the
environmental destruction as occurred in Buyat Bay, North
Sulawesi, and the Bojong dump site in West Java.

Komnas Perempuan chairwoman Kamala Chandrakirana said that as
violence against women increased, demand for government action
also increased.

Progress was achieved in 2004 when the House of
Representatives passed Law No. 23/2004 on the elimination of
domestic violence. However, too many law enforcers are still not
familiar with this law.

"The government should ensure the implementation of the laws
at each level of law enforcement. They should also push for the
passing of an anti-trafficking law, and provide shelters, crisis
centers and hospitals for migrant workers," Kamala said.

Other recommendations from her commission included:
Reevaluating policies on migrant workers with a human rights
and gender equity approach
Making sure that migrants are recognized legally as workers,
with the right to organize
Reopening discussions on an alternative draft for an Islamic
code of law that could help reduce violence against women
Monitoring the implementation of women's rights in conflict
regions
Developing a national database on violence against women