WUNRN
INDONESIA - STRUGGLING TO SURVIVE
SEXUAL VIOLENCE
For Santi, staying
quiet is the best option. Photo: Mark
Wilson/IRIN
Survivors are often reluctant to come forward because of attitudes within the
family. Herna (not her real name), 27, was abused by her mother’s partner
between the ages of 9 and 16 but her family did not fully understand her
trauma. “I knew that what had happened to me was wrong,” she said. “I asked my
stepfather for an apology, but he never gave it. Instead, my mother said to me
that not everyone was perfect. After that, I left home for good.”
Santi (not her real name), 28, was molested by her swimming instructor when she
was 14 years old. “I didn’t say anything because I thought people would blame
me if I reported it,” she said. “Maybe they would say I shouldn’t have been in
the pool with that man. I never sought help. For years I didn’t even
acknowledge that it had happened to me and I had serious problems in
relationships afterwards.”
Indonesia is a signatory to the Convention on the Elimination of
All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW),which aims to
strengthen the human rights of women, but the National Commission on Violence
Against Women notes that between 1998 and 2010 there were close to 94,000 cases
of sexual violence reported against women, including rape, trafficking of women
for sexual purposes, sexual harassment, sexual torture and sexual exploitation.
The commission also highlighted that 20 Indonesian women a day experienced
sexual violence, and in its annual notes, released in March 2012,
reported some 4,335 cases of sexual violence in 2011 alone.
According to the Jakarta Police, in 2011 there were 1,787 cases of sexual
violence across
‘Archaic’ criminal code
The reasons for these numbers vary. In an October 2011 report submitted to the
UN CEDAW committee, the commission said sexual violence experienced by women
had yet to be fully recognized, and had not been given the handling and
attention victims required. Andy Yentriani, an official of the commission, told
IRIN that the Indonesian criminal code was archaic and could not properly deal
with sexual violence.
“It’s based on a system that is four centuries old,” said Yentriani. “Rape is
only understood as the insertion of male genitalia into female genitalia. Oral
sex or anal sex are off the radar. The law also does not recognize that rape
can be experienced by adult males.”
Barriers to reporting
Wulan Danoekoesoemo, the founder of Lentera
“There’s very little immediate medical assistance for women in this country,”
she said. “Rape survivors… may want to get themselves medically checked within
24 hours to provide physical evidence, but that’s a challenge due to
bureaucracy, and because hospitals aren’t sensitive to the concerns of rape
survivors.”
‘Insensitive’
authorities
After five high-profile cases
of rape were reported on
Police spokesman Senior Commissioner Rikwanto explained how the police were
tackling the problem of sexual violence against women. “We’re patrolling in the
evening when workers are returning home and appealing to women to wear polite
and proper clothing in public.”
Neta Pane, coordinator of Indonesian Police Watch (IPW), an independent police
monitoring organization, said this attitude was undermining efforts to help
survivors.
“Women are being asked not to provoke sexual violence,” he said. “So if
something does happen, it’s the fault of the woman for not dressing properly.”
Pane pointed out that the maximum punishment for rape was 12 years, but
perpetrators mostly received sentences under a year.
Vitria Lazzarini, executive coordinator of the Pulih Foundation, a women’s
crisis centre in south
“They ask whether she enjoyed it, what she was wearing at the time, and what
she was doing outside at that time of night. It’s completely inappropriate for
a woman who is suffering substantial trauma,” Lazzarini said.
“Women are also worried that police won’t believe their claims, and will make
them public,” said IPW coordinator Pane. “They are afraid that once people know
of their experience, they will be shunned. It’s a fear that we particularly see
in rural areas.”
‘Re-occurring theme’
Activists point to the need of a change in culture in Indonesia, and a
shift in the way men view and treat women.
Commission official Andy Yentriani said current attitudes were partly the
result of violence committed against women during
“Violations against women are a re-occurring theme in