WUNRN
INSTITUT PEREMPUAN- Women’s Institute INDONESIA
International Women's Day March
8, 2013
Repeal Discriminatory Legislation to End
Violence, Discrimination against Women, and Impoverishment of Women
In Indonesia, violence against women, discrimination against
women and impoverishment of women
is still a crucial problem. In 2011, National Commission on Violence Against
Women recorded 119 107
cases. In 2010, there were 105,103 cases in the
sphere of domestic, public, and state. Not to mention the cases of human rights
violations such as rape tragedy in May 1998 and the massacre of 1965.
Discrimination against women and systemic impoverishment of women are still
faced by women, from discrimination of equal pay of women and men, to the lack
of supporting system for women to fully achieved their women’s human rights.
One of the caused of this situation is laws that
dehumanize women and even create and perpetuate violence against women. The
enactment of Law No. 1 Year 1974 on Marriage for example, which is discriminatory due
to the standardization of the unequal role of husband and wife, discrimination in minimum age of marriage, and limited
polygamy. The enactment of Law No. 44 Year 2008 on
Pornography violates women's human rights by criminalizing women.
Not to mention, the National
Commission on Violence Against Women records 282 regional/local laws and regulations that discriminate
against women in the forms: restrictions on the right to freedom and expression in the law that regulates women’s dress; reduction of
the right to protection and legal certainty due to the regional policy on
criminalization of prostitution;
elimination of the right to protection and legal certainty through regional
policy about prohibition of khalwat*;
neglection of protection through regional policy on migrant domestic workers,
etc. Enabling these legislations has sparked violence and discrimination
against women. In Langsa, Aceh, Sharia police raped a woman when the victim was
arrested on suspicion of khalwat. In 2012, because of
embarrassment over the negative stigma, an Acehnese woman teenager committed
suicide after being a victim
of false arrest imposed by Qanun (Local Regulation) on
Khalwat. Other victim, died in 2008
because of depression over false arrest incident of the application of Tangerang Regulation No. 8 Year 2005 on the
Prohibition of Prostitution. A number of laws governing public participation have created the
"moral police" who do not hesitate to use violence, victimizing women. Broadly, the enforcement of laws and legal products other areas are proving
to deny women's human rights, legal uncertainty, and discriminate against
women.
The Indonesian government should stick to its commitment
to the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in Law No. 7 Year 1984 to at least
"take all appropriate measures, including legislation, to modify or
abolish existing laws, regulations, customs and practices which constitute
discrimination against women
(Article 2 paragraph f), and "To repeal all national
penal provisions which constitute discrimination against women" (Article 2 paragraph g). Indonesia should implement one of the recommendations of CEDAW Concluding
Observation responded to Indonesia Periodic Report to the 6th and 7th (2012) on
the implementation of CEDAW is “to repeal all discriminatory laws against women”.
In line with the United Nations calls on the
International Women's Day 2013 that voiced "Promise is Promise: Time for
action to end violence against women", we, INSTITUT PEREMPUAN -
WOMEN’S INSTITUTE demands:
Bandung, INDONESIA, March 7, 2013
For justice, equality, and humanity,
INSTITUT PEREMPUAN – WOMEN’S
INSTITUTE
R. Valentina Sagala, SE., SH., MH.
Chairperson of
Executive Board
*Khalwat, in Islamic law, refers to
a situation when a woman is alone with a man that is not her
husband/father/brother.
Demi Keadilan,
Kesetaraan, dan Kemanusiaan,
For Justice,
Equality, and Humanity,
INSTITUT PEREMPUAN - WOMEN'S INSTITUTE
Tel./Fax. +62.22.2516378
Contact
person: Valentina Sagala +62.816.486.5241,
val77ina@yahoo.com
E-Mail:
institut_perempuan@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.institutperempuan.or.id/