'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)