The threat to women: When decision makers play deaf

The threat to women: When decision makers play deaf

Jacqueline Mackenzie, Contributor, Jakarta

Gadis Arivia is the Executive Director of Yayasan Jurnal
Perempuan (YJP, Women's Journal Foundation), which initiated the
Suara Ibu Peduli (Voice of Concerned Mothers), among the crucial
movements capitalizing on the early days of the economic crisis
to raise people's political awareness. Gadis is stepping down at
the end of this month after eight years on the job. Following is
an excerpt from an interview, published in conjunction with the
country's commemoration of Women's Day, which falls on Dec. 22.

Question: In your eight years as Executive Director, what do
you count among YJP's biggest achievements?

Answer: One was publishing the first feminist journal in
Indonesia, Jurnal Perempuan, in 1996. This journal opened up a
whole new horizon for women's issues in Indonesia.

The journal gave space for women to express their opinions on
a variety of topics. The bimonthly journal covers lots of issues
-- violence against women, women and health, women and politics,
trafficking in women, women in conflict areas and much more. We
started with only 200 copies, but circulation now is around 5,000
copies.

Because YJP believes information empowers women, we also
started a radio program in 1999. It's a weekly 15-minute women's
program now aired on 160 radio stations across Indonesia, from
Aceh to Papua, and covers news, features and interviews on
women's issues. Radio Jurnal Perempuan has more than 3 million
loyal listeners.

More recently, YJP started making video documentaries. Our
latest production is Women and Children for Sale. The film was
aired on almost all national TV stations. We try to capture the
public's attention through every media -- print, audio and video.

How has the status of women in Indonesia changed so far?

A lot has changed since the New Order ended. Before 1997,
there were only a few women's organizations. The discourse was
restricted, women's organizations were only permitted to do
charity work and the emphasis was more on shaping women in
domestic issues, to be responsible only in the private sphere.

Women were not widely involved in politics. Many women's
organizations back then did not dare to voice any political
issues about women that might upset the government. Then, in
February 1998, YJP organized the Suara Ibu Peduli demonstration
on political, domestic issues like "down with the price of milk".

The aim of the rally was to bring down the regime. It
attracted public attention and was able to "break the silence" on
women's issues. Now there are over 200 women's organizations in
Indonesia, all forging onward with different women's issues.

What are the greatest threats to the health and happiness of
Indonesian women now?

The greatest threat is when all ears in the legislature and
government go deaf, when all doors for debate are closed. Women's
lives are, of course, affected by the government's decisions, but
they seem to have few rights to participate in the debate or the
decision-making process.

For instance, for many years now the NGOs have been fighting
for a domestic violence law, trafficking law, a revised marriage
law. These draft laws reached the legislature ages ago, but
decisions still have not been made. Some say that laws are passed
by the House only if they are "nutritious" -- meaning money
politics. I cannot believe that it is so. If it is, then I am
very sad. They have no idea how, every day, women and children
are suffering because they are not protected by the law.

How do you see those issues developing?

Women are still behind because of the crisis, the patriarchy
prevalent in Indonesia, the lack of law enforcement and the lack
of political will. Women are behind in education, girls'
enrollment in higher education has dropped, violence against
women has increased by 25 percent, many migrant women workers are
being exploited and raped, and maternal mortality is still the
highest in the region.

When and if real improvements are made, will they come from
the Indonesian government, or from international pressure or aid?

Real improvements can only be made through international
pressure and aid. To be frank, most NGOs do a fantastic job in
the field, but only because of international aid. I cannot
imagine that YJP could do what it has been doing for eight years
without international aid.

YJP made a big effort this year to get the government to do
something about the issue of trafficking in women and children.
Have you been pleased with the response?

The response has been disappointing. The issue was considered
a hot issue with the government for a while. Many projects were
launched, mostly advocacy, but I think they were mostly to show
the international aid community that it had spent their money
well. The projects have not been effective; there have been no
significant results.

This is mainly due of a lack of real understanding on the
issue. But it's also due to the absence of law enforcement
against those authorities -- not for the victims -- who give out
false permits, fabricate documents and so on. Combating
trafficking is about being brave in combating corruption ... it
is about having the courage to face their own government
officials, the bureaucrats who abuse their power.

How will women's issues feature in the upcoming elections?

I don't think women's issues will feature at all.

Women will feature only as celebrities, as the "flowers" of
the election. Instead of real debate, we'll most likely hear
celebrity gossip about these women -- how they look or dress.

Men don't take women seriously in political parties because
they don't really consider them partners in their work, sharing a
mission and vision. They just take women to use them, to display
their female body on the podium, not their feminist thinking.

How can Indonesia's women best help themselves in the
immediate future?

Indonesian women are courageous, remarkable women. In every
domain they are defeated, they have suffered, they are the
poorest, the most uneducated and the lowest wage earners. But
they are surviving.

They have been the ones at the forefront. During the economic
crisis, they took low-paying jobs to keep their children fed and
in school. In conflict areas, they are the ones trying to build
reconciliation and peace. Under terrorism, they suffer for the
long term, too. Women of Indonesia have contributed immensely to
development, all the while helping themselves to rise above the
status quo.

I hope that, eventually, providing solid information on these
issues will -- as it must at some point -- lead to better
policies that will lead to better results. If this comes about,
then I will feel I have made a contribution.