Women's joint prayer held to end years of violence

By Stevie Emilia

JAKARTA (JP): Rain usually makes one stay at home, but not last Thursday evening, when hundreds of people, mostly women, flocked to the Nyai Ageng Serang women's building in Kuningan, South Jakarta, praying together to end years of violence in the country.

The event, called Doa Perempuan (Women's Prayer), was the second organized by several women's groups and part of a six- month nationwide campaign called Kaulan Perempuan (Women's Resolution).

It brought together people of many different faiths: Islam, Protestant, Catholic, Hindu, Buddhist, as well as Kong Hu Cu, Brahma Khumaris, Bahai and Javanese mysticism.

They prayed especially for victims of the May riots that rocked different parts of the country.

Many Chinese-Indonesian women were spotted among those who joined the prayer.

Anita (not her real name), a Chinese-Indonesian who came to the prayer with her boyfriend, said she was still traumatized by recent rapes that mostly targeted Chinese-Indonesian women.

"The rapes make me feel insecure, even at the office. I feel like I am different ... something I've never felt before," said Anita.

She said that while she was spared the trauma of rape, she did witness horrible things she would never forget.

"A friend of mine was stripped naked in front of a mob near her home," Anita said.

She was not raped, but this incident was more than enough to shock and traumatize her.

"And I really hope the government will do something. At least capture the rapists, so that we can have a peace of mind," she said.

It's not only Chinese-Indonesian women who felt angry because of the rapes but all women.

"I feel deeply troubled. It's inhumane," said Kusmiyati, a housewife who came to the prayer with some of her neighbors in East Jakarta after reading about it in newspaper.

"I'm a woman and a mother, I can understand what the victims must have experienced. Whether a woman is Chinese-Indonesian or not, those rapists have no right to do that. I wonder what the rapists would feel if the same thing happened to their mothers, sisters, wives or daughters," she said.

Activists from the Volunteers of Humanity state in their report -- based on interviews with victims, their relatives and witnesses -- that at least 168 women and children were raped during the riots that broke out in May.

Out of that 168, 152 were raped or sexually abused in Jakarta and its surroundings -- most of the attacks in the city happened in North Jakarta and West Jakarta, where a large ethnic Chinese community lives and works -- while 16 others were raped or sexually assaulted in Surakarta, Medan, Palembang and Surabaya.

The report also states that 20 women and children were either murdered by their assailants, burned to death after being raped or subsequently died of their wounds.

It is believed that the rapes were organized by a certain group of people.

Thursday's prayer also attracted a few men. They came on their own, or to accompany loved ones.

"The rapes are very embarrassing. It makes me ashamed to admit that I'm an Indonesian," said A. Dahana, a columnist and observer of Chinese politics, who came with his wife.

"I deeply sympathize with the victims," he added. "The government should find those did it, whether it was organized or not."

Several other men preferred to stand outside, waiting for their relatives.

"I just came to pick up my wife," said a man, puffing on his cigarette.

State Minister of Women's Affairs, Tutty Alawiyah, was not seen among the gathering but there were many public figures and celebrities. Top model Ratih Sanggarwati, who was also the MC, and singer Oppie Ariesta, were among them.

Oppie said that women could also help the victims by helping activists or assisting hot line services.

"I believe that many women out there want to help the victims," said Oppie, who is a member of Koalisi Perempuan.

Speech

Opened with a speech by the organizing committee's chairwoman, Nursyahbani Katjasungkana, the event began with the participants singing Kulihat Ibu Kita Pertiwi, (I See My Motherland), about the motherland, which is crying in grief.

But then, when the lights were switched off in exchange for candles, the participants became very quiet, absorbed with the various prayers made religious figures.

After one hour of prayers, women's activist Yulia Suryakusuma read a declaration which aimed to raise women's awareness on their rights and to fight the present stereotype of women within society.

Nursyahbani said that the main intention for holding the prayer was to support and to help those suffering from and fearing violence.

"This prayer meeting is intended to heal our sorrow, pain and fear raised by violent acts, and to return to the trust, humanistic values, justness and democracy that we once had but which have been ruined because of violent acts, which peaked during May 13 to May 15 riots," Nursyahbani said.

And the prayer, she said, was also offered for all victims of domestic and political violence during the past 33 years, beginning in 1965, when the authorities foiled the coup d'etat attempt by the now-banned Indonesian Communist Party. This incident marked the transfer of power from Sukarno to Soeharto.

She said that the congregation was also intended to reflect women's denouncement of the politics of violence which has been used by those in power to silence prodemocracy activists or to conquer individuals and certain groups.

The prayer ended with Ratna Sarumpaet's play Marsinah Menggugat (Marsinah Accuses), about murdered female labor activist Marsinah, whose case remains unsolved.