Women face threat of abuse as economic crisis deepens

By Brigid O'Halloran

JAKARTA (JP): A young woman studies her battered reflection in a large ornate mirror. "He said he wouldn't beat me anymore," she says. "He's said this before."

The poster of this woman, to be used in an upcoming campaign against domestic violence, was displayed last Wednesday at a United Nations panel discussion on gender and domestic violence in Indonesia.

The discussion focused on the expected rise of domestic violence as a result of the ongoing economic crisis and prevailing social and cultural attitudes.

The two key speakers at the meeting were Purnianti Mangunsong from the University of Indonesia's Criminology Research Institute and Sita Aripurnami of the Kalyanamitra feminist organization.

Sita said she was concerned that analyses of the economic crisis to date had yet to consider problems faced by women.

"Women are bearing the burden of the economic crisis because they are the first to face the increasing prices of everyday goods and it's their responsibility to nurture and care for the family and manage its expenses," she said.

The crisis has also made many women more financially dependent on their husbands and thus more vulnerable to domestic abuse.

Purnianti said that "although it is difficult to estimate the actual incidence of domestic violence in Indonesia, as a social problem it has universally reached a critical point."

Studies in the United States have found that over 2 million American women are abused each year, making domestic violence the single major cause of injury to women there. Injuries sustained through domestic violence in the U.S. are significantly higher than those for motor vehicle accidents, rapes or muggings.

Statistics for Indonesia are limited because domestic violence is largely unreported. Women are reluctant to report abuse for several reasons, including family loyalty, fear and shame. Societal attitudes also influence decisions to conceal abuse, as women are often condemned for discussing domestic violence in public and "airing their dirty laundry".

Problems associated with law enforcement and police attitudes also make women less inclined to report abuse to the authorities. In many cases, women who do make a report are sent home and told to "work things out" with their partners.

Law enforcers and the society in general seem hesitant to interfere and so the problem remains a hidden one.

"The few cases that are reported to the police are just the tip of the iceberg," Purnianti Mangunsong said.

Of the 17 domestic violence cases reported to Kalyanamitra between January and July this year, at least five were seen to be closely related to the economic crisis.

"Although there were only five reported cases, the numbers are realistically much greater because of the hidden nature of the problem," Sita said.

Despite the lack of official statistics, several cases have been reported in the media. She cited a February report in Pos Kota in which a casual laborer in Central Java beat his wife to death after she complained about their financial situation.

Purnianti said the origins of domestic violence in Indonesia could be found in the country's social structure and its complex set of values, traditions, customs, habits and beliefs relating to gender inequality.

"Domestic violence occurs in all socioeconomic groups and the victims can be female, male, young or old," she said. "One of the many myths associated with domestic violence is that it occurs only in uneducated, low-income families."

She said self perceptions or "fantasies of identity" of both the perpetrator and the victim played a large role in domestic violence. Many women, she explained, see themselves as subordinate to men and low self esteem could lead them to believe that they are deserving of such maltreatment. Many men on the other hand have "fantasies of power" which lead them to believe that violence is acceptable.

Socialization plays an important role in shaping and reinforcing these perceptions. The economic crisis has also undoubtedly further distorted these "fantasies of identity", because it has increased the economic dependency of women on their partners.

Only a small number of men attended Wednesday's discussion -- a real life indicator, Purnianti believes, of how much attention is paid to women's issues.

One of the few men present, Abdullah Cholil, an assistant to the state minister of women's affairs, said it was ironically the men who did not attend the discussion who needed to be present.

He also pointed out the media's role in normalizing violence and sustaining the subordination of women in society.

"The media shows a lot of violence perpetrated by men and the suppression of women," he said.

He said he believed a coordinated international action plan involving non-governmental organizations, the government, the media and religious groups was necessary to raise public awareness of the issue.

Purnianti said women's groups and the government had to be more aggressive in their campaigns against domestic violence to have any significant impact.

Legal reform, community education, data collection and research are all extremely important, she said, as well as the establishment of services for battered women, including financial support, advocacy, counseling and emergency accommodation.

"There are very few places women with children can go in an emergency situation," she said.

The discussion was organized by the United Nations Inter Agency Task Force on Gender and Development, currently chaired by the International Labor Organization (ILO).

Cecile Deboar, an ILO representative, said the task force was an initiative of the UN World Women's Conference and was set up to promote awareness of gender issues.

Indonesia undoubtedly has a long way to go in its recognition and acceptance of the very real problem of domestic violence. As the economic crisis worsens and both women and men become more vulnerable to the fluctuations of the economy, steps need to be taken to ensure that women are protected and do not continue to suffer in silence.