RI defends its record on women's rights
RI defends its record on women's rights
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia is likely to face criticism at the
world conference on women's rights in Beijing next month over its
record on women's rights, according to a senior official.
Sjamsiah Achmad, assistant to the State Minister for Women's
Roles, said yesterday that Indonesia has often been accused of
having a poor record on women's rights. However, she said
numerous steps have been taken to improve the situation and that
Indonesia will be able to show the international conference the
improvement.
Achmad added that the Indonesian delegates to the conference
should be able to contribute to the efforts to present a good
image there.
"We have many shortcomings, but we should try to find positive
sides, too, while continuing our efforts to correct our
mistakes," Achmad told reporters.
She said that maltreatment of women occurs almost everywhere.
Abuse, rape and violence against women take place in any kind of
community, in both developing and developed countries, she said.
"Violence occurs across cultures and countries, and the
victims are always those who are weak, namely women and
children," she said. "But this doesn't happen only here...In New
York, too, women are abused."
Earlier on the same day, State Minister for Women's Rights
Mien Sugandhi told reporters that Indonesia will participate in
three conferences, held simultaneously, on women and development.
The first meeting will be the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)
ministerial meeting on women's affairs on Sept. 1 and 2, which
Mien, in place of President Soeharto, will preside over.
About 450 delegates from 125 countries will participate in the
NAM meeting. A number of ministers and senior officials from 12
other countries will also attend as observers.
The NAM meeting is expected to produce a political statement,
to be called the Beijing Message, which is to reflect a
uniformity of commitment and efforts on the part of the NAM
members.
That document will be deliberated further in the United
Nations Conference on Women, which will begin on Sept. 4 and will
run until Sept. 15.
"Indonesia will participate fully in the conference, and
support and implement the results of the conference to the best
of its ability," Mien vowed.
A number of documents, including the Beijing Declaration and
the Platform of Action regarding 12 critical areas of concern,
have been prepared over the past two years by countries that will
attend the conference.
During the preliminary sessions, Indonesia always actively
participated and contributed to the discussions on female
workers, especially migrant women workers, poverty alleviation,
education, women's rights to health services and gender equality
concepts, Mien said.
Another conference to be attended by Indonesian delegates is
the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) Forum on Women, which
will be held between August 30 and Sept. 8 in Huairou city, some
50 kilometers from Beijing.
About 46,000 people will join the forum. Indonesian NGOs will
send 147 activists and observers of women's affairs to the
meeting.
Achmad said that the Indonesian delegation to the three
meetings will carry similar missions.
She cited a number of potentially polarizing issues at the
conferences, including protection for women migrant workers and
sexual rights. Some groups have defined women's sexual rights as
the freedom to establish homosexual relationships.
Another issue that may prove a subject of hot debates is that
of human rights, Achmad said. (swe)