Women can lead, but public spaces are not yet fully safe
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Issues of women’s leadership and safety in public spaces were highlighted during a talkshow titled Kartini Hari Ini: Perempuan Memimpin, Berdaya, dan Aman di Ruang Publik, organised by Gerakan Rakyat (GERAK) in Jakarta on Monday (27/4).
The discussion, moderated by Margaretta Putri, Director of Inter-Institutional and International Cooperation at GERAK, featured various perspectives, from leadership and the fulfilment of rights to women’s safety in physical and digital spaces.
Ninik Rahayu, Chair of the Press Council for the 2022–2025 period, stressed that opportunities for women to lead are increasingly open. However, in practice, women still face structural and cultural challenges, as well as an ecosystem that is not yet fully formed.
Meanwhile, Eva Kusuma Sundari, Founder of the Sarinah Institute, pointed out the gap between regulations and reality.
According to her, although women’s rights have been legally recognised, with many regulations already in place, implementation on the ground still faces various obstacles.
“Women’s issues today are no longer about the presence or absence of rules, but how those rules or values are truly implemented, by building awareness and application based on the second principle of Pancasila,” said Eva.
From a policy perspective, Dwi Oktavia, Head of the DKI Jakarta Provincial Office for the Empowerment, Protection of Children and Population Control (PPAPP), affirmed that safety in public spaces remains a work in progress. Harassment, whether verbal, non-verbal, or digital, is still frequently occurring and often taken lightly.
“Public spaces are not yet fully safe, and this must be a collective concern. From our side, the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government is formulating and updating local regulations related to PPAPP, so that public spaces become safe for everyone,” she said.
Historian and Dean of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Indonesia (FIB UI) for 2021-2025, Bondan Kanumoyoso, emphasised that change cannot be solely burdened on women.
“Kartini is the Mother of the Nation; in her history, Kartini’s unpublished letters actually fought for the fate of the Indonesian nation, long before Soekarno or Tan Malaka.
“Kartini’s struggle was not only for women, but also for an enlightened Indonesian nation. Therefore, change cannot proceed without the involvement of men. This is a shared responsibility; women’s leadership will certainly have its own value with characteristics different from those of men,” he asserted.
Through this talkshow, Dhini Mudiani, General Chair of GERAK, encouraged that discourse on women should not stop at symbolic commemorations of Kartini Day, but continue as real commitments.
Cross-sector collaboration is needed, involving both women and men, government, communities, and society, to create safe, inclusive, and equal public spaces.
“This talkshow is hoped to be the starting point for strengthening collective awareness as well as encouraging concrete steps in providing spaces that are not only open, but also safe and dignified for all,” she said.