Legislator concerned over violence against women

JAKARTA (JP): Violence against women and abuse of children are becoming national issues that need prompt action, a senior legislator said yesterday.

Nafsiah Mboi, a member of House Commission VIII for social welfare, acknowledged that development has brought prosperity but women and children remain subjected to violence and abuse.

"Economic development has raised children's participation in education and lowered maternal and infant mortality rates but it should not dazzle us into neglecting persistent problems," she told reporters.

Nafsiah, also a well-known AIDS and social worker, pointed out that rape is on the increase, as is the number of adults forcing their children to become beggars for them.

Unfortunately, Indonesian laws provide inadequate legal protection for women and children, especially against abuse by family members and security officials, she said.

"People who exploit children go unpunished because there is no particular law that deals with such crimes," Nafsiah said.

Nafsiah led a seminar on The Media's Role in the Commemoration of the Second-Decennial of Indonesian Children, organized by the Journalists and Writers Club for Women and Children and the Jakarta office of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

The one-day seminar featured UNICEF's deputy representative Yoshiteru Uramoto and S.C. Utami Munandar from the University of Indonesia's School of Psychology.

Nafsiah said society is also involved in violence against street children. For example, starving street children caught stealing food are often badly treated, she noted.

People also tend to downplay rape and abuse of children.

"Many people still think rape and abuse of children is no big deal simply because Indonesians are 'religious'. They are wrong," she said.

She criticized the mass media for not adequately raising violence against women and abuse of children as a national problem.

Hernowo Hadiwonggo, an assistant to the Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare, said that the lack of media reports about women's and children's issues is because the mass media do not consider them salable stories.

"We can't blame the media. This happens because of the current situation and the public demand leading them to cover other stories," Hernowo told The Jakarta Post.

But Nafsiah was of the opinion that since violence against women and abuse of children are becoming national problems, the mass media should raise the issues more prominently. (31)