'RI needs to develop a human rights culture'

'RI needs to develop a human rights culture'

JAKARTA (JP): A United Nations rapporteur at the end of her
fact finding visit here said Indonesia needs to revamp its
approach to human rights by developing a more receptive culture
to such issues.

The UN's special rapporteur on violence against women, Radhika
Coomaraswamy, said on Friday that the development of culture that
respects human rights would involve changing the law to make the
criminal justice system more sensitive to the matter, along with
conducting educational and awareness campaigns.

Coomaraswamy, a Sri Lankan jurist, left Indonesia on Friday
after completing a 10-day fact finding mission which included a
visit to East Timor.

"What we would like to see is a holistic approach to human
rights to ensure a culture of respect for human rights within the
arms of the government, the military and civil society,"
Coomaraswamy told reporters after addressing a discussion on
violence against women.

She said the government has to have "at least a verbal
commitment to human rights and the willingness to get UN
assistance for human rights training for the police and the
military."

"I would just say that there is a willingness at the verbal
level ... (but) I do not know if any of this will be
implemented," Coomaraswamy said.

She underlined the importance of societal control in ensuring
that the government adheres to its pledge to abide by the terms
of international human rights conventions.

"I think governments all over the world give promises to
international organizations that they do not keep, but it is up
to Indonesian civil society and people to make sure (the
government) keeps the commitment that they speak about,"
Coomaraswamy asserted.

The end of the Soeharto era and the recent calls for reform
have given a new impetus to advocates of human rights in the
country.

The government has taken steps to placate these demands over
the last few months, including lifting the status of military
operation zone from East Timor, Irian Jaya and Aceh.

President B.J. Habibie has made a strong show of pledging that
his government will grant greater political freedom and respect
human rights.

On June 26, Habibie launched a five-year National Action Plan
on Human Rights.

The foreign ministry also said last week that the Convention
against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment
or Punishment, which was ratified in September, came into effect
on Nov. 26.

Coomaraswamy said she had been encouraged by "how vibrant
civil society is" in Indonesia, despite the presence of a darker
side in relation to the continuing threats faced by some human
rights activists.

Women

She also appealed to female lawyers here to push for changes
in the penal code with regard to rape and sexual harassment.

"Legal reform should be a high priority with regard to the
National Commission on Violence Against Women ... so that
violence against women can be prosecuted," Coomaraswamy said,
referring to the new body set up in October.

The commission is led by women's rights activist Saparinah
Sadli.

When asked to comment on public accusations that the police
have failed to properly investigate cases of rape during the May
riots, Coomaraswamy replied: "There has to be a need for active
police when incidents are mentioned ... Not to sit around and
wait for someone to come forward, but to go and investigate when
things are said to have happened."

A joint fact finding set up by the government last month
announced that at least 52 women, mostly Chinese-Indonesians,
were raped during the riots.

During her stay here, Coomaraswamy met with victims of the May
riots and alleged human rights abuses in East Timor along with
military and government officials and non-governmental
organizations.

She said that the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Defense
and Security, Lt. Gen. Soeyono, had pledged the military's
commitment to respecting human rights during a meeting last
week. (byg)