International Womens' Day: Eliminating discrimination

International Womens' Day: Eliminating discrimination

Lynda Kurnia Wardhani, Women's Caring Forum, Jakarta

Though the United Nations has issued various important
instruments promoting equality of rights of men and women, such
as the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and
the International Covenants on Human Rights; extensive
discrimination against women still exists until present time.
Therefore, the adoption of the Convention of the Elimination of
All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1981 is
expected to improve protection of women.

Discrimination against women violates the principles of equal
rights and respect for human dignity. It is an obstacle to the
participation of women on equal terms with men, in the political,
social, economic and cultural lives of their countries; and it
hampers the growth of the prosperity of society and the family.
It makes the full development of women's potential more
difficult.

However, even though 169 countries have ratified the CEDAW,
including Indonesia in 1984, discrimination against women is
still rampant in various areas such as in households, in
workplaces, in public places and in the several war-torn
provinces of the country -- where many civilians have been
targeted, and where women and children often are the first
casualties.

In economic terms, the gender divide is still widening. Women
earn less, are more often unemployed and generally are poorer
than men. Women's work is still largely part-time, informal,
unregulated and unstable. The fact that they have productive as
well as reproductive capabilities is also rarely recognized.

Already women form the largest percentage of the agricultural
labor force in many parts of the world. Yet, most women are still
denied the right to credit, land ownership and inheritance. Their
labor goes unrecognized and unrewarded. Their needs are not given
priority. Their role, even in household decision-making is
usually restricted. Women and girls are the most vulnerable to
the spread of AIDS. They are also most often targeted for human
trafficking.

In Indonesia, there is a long list of cases related to
discrimination and violence against women, such as mass rapes in
May 1998 in Jakarta which specifically victimized Chinese-
Indonesians. There are even more reported cases of sexual abuse
in Aceh, Papua and the former Indonesian territory of East Timor,
and none of the above have been addressed by the legal
authorities.

Even President Megawati Soekarnoputri faced nasty public
discrimination, especially from Muslims, while running for the
presidency, as they said it was not right for a woman to be a
leader. There are also prevalent cases of domestic violence,
sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace and
exploitation of female laborers.

Women must be educated in order to be able to build the new
world and to play their part in the global economy. Education, in
other words, is both an entry point for women in entering the
global economy and the best defense against many pitfalls.

Women should have access to information they need. They should
be well informed of certain important issues related to women
such as reproductive health, HIV disease and women's rights.
Women should protect and take the best care of themselves in
order not to lose out on future career or educational
opportunities through early sexual relations, unwanted pregnancy
and sexual abuse.

More and more women are engaged in global production from
textiles to data processing. But most of them work in appalling
conditions for near-starvation wages. This will only change when
women are making economic decisions, as managers, entrepreneurs
and employers, labor leaders and employment lawyers, and when
they are making social and political decisions, as community
leaders, negotiators, judges and cabinet ministers.

Indeed, study after study has confirmed that there is no
development strategy more beneficial to society as a whole -- for
women and men alike -- than one which involves women as central
players.

Especially for Indonesia, the government has to do more to
protect women from violence. There should be better cooperation
among related agencies and ministries. The government should be
continuously lobbied on the matter as the Kaulan Perempuan
organization continuously tries to do. Kaulan Perempuan is
accustomed to carrying out routine campaigns to stop
discrimination and violence against women, revealing that the
findings and real facts about rape cases to the President and the
State Minister of Women's Empowerment Sri Redjeki Soemaryoto, and
urging the government to solve discrimination and violence cases
by bringing those responsible to the court.

The government needs to pay greater attention to violations of
the above Conventions, which it has already ratified, and become
proactive towards the existing problems of women's rights
violations. Most importantly, the government is expected to be
able to create awareness on women's fate in the society.