'Govt inconsistent' on women's rights issue

'Govt inconsistent' on women's rights issue

JAKARTA (JP): Despite its endorsement of an international
convention against discrimination, the government is inconsistent
in its implementation of laws on the empowerment of women and the
protection of their rights, an activist said yesterday.

Nursyahbani Kantjasungkana said in a discussion yesterday that
the government had ratified the Convention for the Elimination of
All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in l984, yet
its policies regarding women had otherwise strengthened gender
stereotypes and inequalities.

"All forms of discrimination against women, traditional
stereotypes and prejudices still persist and they are clearly
manifested in many government policies," she explained.

She cited how the government's family planning program often
violated the rights of women who were forced, sometimes using
violence, to participate.

Discrimination also occurred through legislation, she said,
citing how the laws on marriage, labor and social and health
services still disadvantaged women.

"The law of marriage still allows men to practice polygamy
which downgrades women's rights and dignity," she said.

Another activist, Sri Wahyuni, said the government's policies
regarding women had always been linked to the traditional and
domestic roles of women.

"What about single women, career women and women who pursue
both a career and a family?" she argued.

The discussion, jointly organized by the Association of the
Indonesian Women for Justice and the Women's Working Group for
the Monitoring of the Implementation of CEDAW, was held to
commemorate National Women's Day, known as Kartini Day.

The event was also held to disseminate an independent report
on the implementation of CEDAW in Indonesia which was presented
in New York recently to the United Nation's Committee for the
Elimination of Discrimination Against Women.

The report was intended as an alternative to the government's
report on the convention which should be delivered to the UN
Committee every four years. The government is due to deliver its
fourth report next July. (raw)