LSF: Kartini Day Commemoration Must Focus on Concrete Policies

The momentum of Kartini Day should be utilised to produce policies that favour women. Serang (ANTARA) - The Feminist Study Circle (LSF) assesses that Kartini Day commemorations should no longer be dominated by ceremonial celebrations but must focus on formulating concrete policies that expand access for women in various sectors. Banten women’s activist and LSF founder, Eva Nurcahyani, in Serang on Tuesday, emphasised that reflections on RA Kartini’s struggles must be realised in tangible programmes, not merely cultural symbols such as kebaya fashion competitions or cooking contests, which are seen as far from the substance of emancipation. “The momentum of Kartini Day should be utilised to produce policies that favour women,” said Eva. According to Eva, Kartini’s spirit in fighting for education amid social limitations needs to be translated by local governments through providing employment opportunities, expanding educational access, and special women’s health services. “Local governments must present free women’s health check programmes as part of Kartini Day commemorations,” she said. Eva also criticised the imbalance in Family Planning (KB) programmes, where the majority of the burden is still borne by women. She encourages local governments in Banten to be more sensitive to equitable access to reproductive health services for all parties. In the education sector, Eva regrets that there are still women in Banten who drop out of school due to outdated paradigms that prioritise marriage. According to her, the state is obliged to guarantee equal education to break the chain of such inequalities. Furthermore, she explained that Kartini Day’s identity, closely associated with kebaya and domestic activities, is a legacy of past “motherism” politics. This is seen as tending to domesticate women’s roles, so Kartini’s original fighting spirit and aspirations are often forgotten. She hopes that the Banten Regional Government will use this momentum as a time for evaluation to present inclusive policies with gender justice so that Kartini’s struggle continues in a real way.