Fighting rape: Be calm and attack the genitals

JAKARTA (JP): Jakartans were enraged when a mother and her two daughters were gang-raped by a group of men in Bekasi last July.

But anger isn't a solution. Not long after the press printed the reports about the gang rape, several other rapes took place. A girl was raped by six boys in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta; three girls were raped by a group of men in Puncak, West Java; a 14-year old girl was raped and killed in Lumajang, East Java; the list continues.

Women organization Kalyanamitra, which collected clippings of rape stories in 1994 from nine national newspapers, noted that last year there were 185 rapes involving 204 victims. As of July this year, 103 cases have been formally reported. Many more rapes go unreported.

The stories bear a message for Indonesian women: Be careful. Males can also be raped, admittedly, but of the 185 rapes reported in 1994, only one case, involving five boys, was committed against males.

Psychologist Priyo Widiyanto, was quoted by Kalyanamitra's bulletin Bejana Wanita as saying rapists are generally emotional, restless and out of control with sexual desire.

To fend off a rapist, a victim should remain calm and attack the genitals.

Learning basic martial arts is useful. But a few simple techniques may be just as good, Kalyanamitra reports. (als)