Women face threat of abuse as economic crisis deepens

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.