New President Should Liberate Indonesian Women

By Arif Nurdiansah & Fitrya Ardziyani Nuril

Women in Pamekasan district, East Java, carry a motorcycle to a boat for transportation. Almost a quarter of Indonesian households rely on women as the main bread winner. (Antara Photo/Saiful Bahri)

President-elect Joko Widodo said in his victory speech that politics is liberation. Let’s hope he is able to extend this motto to Indonesia’s women, too many of whom continue to suffer from discrimination, poverty, violence and marginalization. Currently over 365 policies are in effect that discriminate against women even though Indonesia has ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) three decades ago. There are 279 policies that directly target women: 124 policies criminalize women for prostitution and pornography, 30 policies regulate the separation of public space, 35 policies impose a curfew for women, and 90 are related to dress. In addition, there are 42 policies that violate women’s freedom of religion and belief. But despite all these regulations — ostensibly aimed at ‘protecting’ women — violence against women in Indonesia is increasing at an alarming rate. According to the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan), cases rose to 279,760 in 2013. These cases include rape, sexual abuse, assault, harassment and human trafficking for sexual intent. Kofi Annan, the former UN secretary general, has explained that gender equality is about much more than equal rights. It is a prerequisite for poverty eradication, for sustainable development and for the realization of good governance. Gender equality is very much a development issue. Countries with higher gender equality rates tend to have a higher GNP per capita. But even though Indonesia is now considered a middle-income coutry, its women are still struggling to escape discrimination and poverty. If we consider the maternal death rate, for instance, Indonesia is failing women. Surveys show that the maternal death rate has increased from 228 deaths per 100,000 births to 359 in 2013. Also, girls are still not receiving as much education as boys. The Indonesia Governance Index for 2012 shows that girls leave school earlier than boys, receiving only 7.5 years of schooling while boys go to school 8 years. Women workers only received 77.8 percent of men’s wages, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) said in 2011. The average monthly income for men was Rp 1,640,472 ($137) while women earned Rp 1,275,653 on average. This is a consequence of the 2003 labor law, which states no clear sanctions for entrepreneurs who do not provide equal pay for equal work. Perhaps this is why so many Indonesian women seek employment abroad, where they outnumber Indonesian men, data of the Agency for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers, or BNP2TKI, for 2011-13 showed. So women are paid less, even though almost a quarter of Indonesian households rely on women as the main bread winner. Too many of our policies still assume that men lead households, which might explain the extremely slow pace of poverty reduction in Indonesia. PEKKA, a group that works for the empowerment of women-headed households, says that 60 percent of such households suffer extreme poverty. Our poverty-alleviation programs need to be more sensitive of gender issues. In fact, we know that programs that target women are more effective. Corraling women’s issues into the Ministry for Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection has not worked. If we are serious about protecting women and children, their welfare and well-being need to be seen as a core responsibility of the police, the Attorney General’s Office, and the ministries of education and culture, health, labor and transmigration, and other agencies. As citizens, women have the right to full protection by the entire state apparatus. To help voice their needs and views in the highest levels we need a special envoy who reports directly to the president. This might be the best solution to ensure gender sensitivity throughtout the new government and to ensure that decisions are made that serve the welfare of all Indonesians. Arif Nurdiansah (@arifnurdiansah) and Fitrya Ardziyani Nuril (@fitryardziyani) work for the Partnership for Governance Reform. http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/opinion/new-president-liberate-indonesian-women/