'Love Motherhood' drive launched

YOGYAKARTA: The office of State Minister for Women's Role in cooperation with non-governmental organizations will launch a "Love Motherhood" drive, a campaign to reduce maternal mortality rates and improve women's welfare.

Dr. Abdullah Cholil, assistant to the minister, said yesterday President Soeharto would launch the drive on Dec. 22 to coincide with Indonesia's Women's Day, reported Antara.

Addressing a seminar on the protection of women against social abuse and violence held by the University of Gadjah Mada, Cholil explained that 390 in every 100,000 women die in childbirth each year. The rate is high, compared to neighboring countries.

The 1996 Human Development Report issued by the United Nations said Indonesia's maternal mortality rate is 650 per 100,000, while Malaysia records only 80, the Philippines 280, Singapore 10, Thailand 100 and Vietnam 160.

President Soeharto said that without accelerated efforts to reduce maternal mortality rate, the campaign to empower women would remain unrealized, said Cholil.

Gadjah Mada lecturer Ashadi Siregar, noted lawyer Tumbu Saraswati and woman activist Elli N. Hasbianto also spoke at the seminar.