Sasak women victims of serious domestic violence

Rita A. Widiadana, The Jakarta Post, Mataram

The island of Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara province is famous for its tourist resorts, traditional woven clothes and cidomo horse carriages.

Lombok even markets itself as an alternative tourist destination to neighboring island Bali by highlighting its three famous smaller islands called Gili Meno, Gili Air and Gili Trawangan, not to mention the white sand beach along Senggigi.

Despite being famous for its natural beauty, Lombok - where the provincial capital of Mataram is located - is also notorious for the large number of female victims of domestic violence.

In the period between February and September 2001, Indonesian Legal Aid for Women's Empowerment (LBH Apik) recorded 157 cases of violence against women. Forty four of the victims have implemented legal proceedings.

Executive director of LBH Apik, Beauty Erawati, said most Sasak (Lombok island ethnic) women have no power to defend themselves against any possible violence that might affect them.

"Many Sasak women have suffered from domestic violence, mostly in the form of sexual and physical harassment and rape," she said.

More than 90 percent of rapes are committed by the victims' brothers, other close family members, close friends, neighbors or acquaintances.

"Women are under the influence of their dominating fathers, brothers and husbands," Beauty said, adding that women are obliged to follow their husbands' demands and orders.

Just like women anywhere in the world, Sasak women believe they must take care of their husbands and children.

But they cannot say "no", especially if their husbands are about to marry another woman. Challenging their husbands' wishes will see them labeled as "sinners".

"The husbands usually engage in acts of violence, such as beating, when they disagree with their wife's decision," Beauty said.

However, cases of abuse have traditionally remained hidden, especially in the past, as Sasak women have been too afraid even to complain.

"Most of them keep their marital problems to themselves. They put their bad marriages down to destiny, something that is not for public consumption. It's just the tip of the iceberg. There must be a lot more unreported cases," she said.

The most common reason for not reporting domestic violence is that the women have no idea where to go. Police have been paying little attention to such cases.

"Police tend to ignore reports of domestic violence, saying it is common and nothing more than minor marital disputes," Beauty explained. If a case were to be taken to court, the defendant would receive a very lenient punishment. "This will certainly encourage men to undermine women."

Another problem suffered by women in Lombok is the low number of female students in school as they are forced to marry early and face the risk of out of wedlock pregnancies.

Violence against women occurs nationwide in various forms but it is a challenge for the National Family Planning Coordinating Board (BKKBN) to apply its quality family vision that has yet to receive adequate attention.

Domestic violence is clearly pervasive and undoubtedly contributes to the increasing divorce rates and other negative family outcomes. It is an urgent social problem that needs first to be studied qualitatively and quantitatively and secondly addressed not only at the family but also at the community and state levels.

Prevailing attitudes toward women and their role in society may explain why reproductive rights and women's empowerment are placed at the very center of BKKBN's long-term strategy. Women are valued most in their role as "givers," both honored and expected to make continuing sacrifices for the welfare of "family, community, nation and state."