Women activists start anti-violence campaign

Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The suspicious death of rights campaigner Munir and threats against his widow, Suciwati, have inspired her along with dozens of women's groups to declare war against all forms of violence.

Suciwati, a mother of two, Tuti Koto, a mother of pro- democratic activist Yani Afri, who has gone missing since 1998, and Sumarsih, a mother of student activist Wawan, who was killed by security troops during a rally against then-president B.J. Habibie in 1998, will start on Thursday a 16-day campaign to raise public support for an end to violence against women.

The three women will share their experiences in defending their right to a peaceful life.

The campaign, called Activism Against Gender Violence, has been prepared by the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) in cooperation with 303 women's organizations grouped in the Women's Crisis Center (WWC).

"We have decideed to start this 16-day-long campaign for a good reason. First, we want to dedicate the event to our fellow activist Munir for his commitment to fighting for women's rights," Komnas Perempuan chair Kamala Chandrakirana said on Wednesday.

The world would commemorate the International Day of Eradicating Violence Against Women on Thursday.

Kamala said the lengthy campaign would also spotlight important dates to come, including World HIV Day on Dec. 1, World Antislavery Day on Dec. 2 and World Disabled Day on Dec. 3.

The Day of Zero Tolerance Toward Violence Against Women also falls on Dec. 6 and World Human Rights Day starts later on Dec. 10.

"Violence against women must be stopped and the state is obliged to provide advocacy and rehabilitation programs for victimized women," Kamala said.

Through the campaign, the women's groups will remind the public that violence against women was equivalent to human rights abuses. Violence happened not only in conflict-prone areas, but also in peaceful ones and was often perpetrated by relatives or those known to the victim, Kamala said.

Events will run simultaneously in Makassar and Bone (South Sulawesi), Maumere (East Nusa Tenggara), Mataram (West Nusa Tenggara), Samarinda (East Kalimantan), Jombang (East Java), Padang (West Sumatra), Batam (Riau), Semarang (Central Java), Bandung (West Java) and in major towns in Papua and Maluku.

During the campaign, the commission would distribute books to women living in conflict regions.

A series of forums and film screenings about women and violence would also take place.

Commission data shows reported violence against women has increased in recent years.

In 2003, the number of cases increased to nearly 6,000 from about 5,163 in 2002. In 2001, there were about 3,000 cases reported.

The violence came in many forms, from intimidation and other psychological torture to rape and murder, Kamala said.