It's time to create a safe space for women

The repeated brutal murders of women show the absence of safe spaces for women.

DOKUMENTASI AI SANI NURAINI

Location of the murder and mutilation of a woman named Yanti (44) by her husband with the initials TBD at his home, Sindangjaya Hamlet, Cisontrol Village, Rancah District, Ciamis Regency, West Java, Friday (3/4/2024). It is suspected that the perpetrator was depressed due to economic factors.

Sadistic murders of women are repeated again. Just revealed the case of the discovery of a woman's body in a suitcase in Bekasi, two days ago, Friday (3/5/2024), now the case is repeating itself, this time in Ciamis Regency, West Java. Not only was he killed, the victim's body was also mutilated.

The heinous murders of women degrade the dignity of women who no longer know the time and place. It is as if there is no longer a safe space for women. In private and public areas, in rural or urban areas, women are vulnerable to becoming victims of crime under various schemes.

In fact, the murder case in Ciamis, Y (40) by Tarsum (40), her husband, was carried out openly on a village road in Sindangjaya Hamlet, Cisontrol Village, Rancah District. Previously, the victim was beaten by the perpetrator, then killed. So far, it is suspected that the perpetrator did this because of economic pressure, and there were "magical whispers" when he carried out the pesugihan ritual.

Also read: The Mystery of the Murder of a Woman in a Suitcase Revealed Thanks to CCTV

The case that happened to Y adds to the long list of women in the country who have become victims of heinous murders. In a number of cases it generally begins with physical violence and torture, some even experience sexual violence before being killed.

The ongoing series of murders targeting women within society raises many questions. Almost every week, the public is shocked by cases of murder involving women, including young girls, accompanied by physical and sexual violence.

KOMPAS/SONYA HELLEN SINOMBOR

Hundreds of women who are part of the Indonesian Women's Alliance commemorated International Women's Day 2024 by walking from the front of the Bawaslu Building to the Monas area in Jakarta on Friday (8/3/2024).

Case Y and similar cases send a strong message to the public that women everywhere are vulnerable to becoming victims of crimes. This vulnerability cannot be separated from the power relations that favor men and the patriarchal culture that still strongly persists in society.

The killing of women because they are women using various methods in the last five years has continued to be raised by the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan). The murder is referred to as femicide.

These crimes are the most extreme form of violence against women and a manifestation of discrimination against women and gender inequality.

People are busy thinking about themselves and their own difficulties in life.

Mamik Sri Supatmi, a criminology teacher at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Indonesia, states that the continued heinous murders of women, including femicide, are evidence of the state's failure to create a safe living space for women, children, and minority groups.

Law enforcement to provide justice for victims is a serious concern. However, the law is not the only solution, and is not a guarantee to prevent crime. Even repressive law enforcement with cruel/heavy punishment does not necessarily deter people from committing crimes against women and children.

ANTARA FOTO/MOHAMMAD AYUDHA

Residents sign their signatures during an action against violence against women in Solo, Central Java, Sunday, December 9 2018.

Prevention of crime and violence requires many efforts, and law enforcement is just one of them. These efforts include intensive, massive, and structured ways of promoting respect for every body, especially women and children. These things are done to create equality and justice for women, children, and vulnerable groups.

"Indeed, this change cannot happen instantly. The problem is complex, intertwined with poverty, access to proper services, including mental health, support from surrounding factors such as family, community, and the state", said Mamik.

Difficulty in life is a factor that worsens the relationship between men and women in patriarchal society. Even the community life in rural areas and dense urban settlements, which are supposed to prioritize mutual care, has also changed.

Also read: Understanding Femicide as a Form of Gender-Based Violence

"What we thought of as looking out for each other is not really the case, because people are busy thinking about themselves and their own difficulties in life," said Mamik.

Furthermore, it could be that women in rural areas or those living in remote locations are now more vulnerable to experiencing violence. When they do experience violence, female victims also have great difficulty accessing assistance/services and justice.

HUMAS POLDA METRO JAYA

A suitcase containing a woman's body was found in Cikarang, Bekasi Regency, on Thursday (25/4/2024).

A number of efforts to protect women can actually start to be implemented in villages, such as in terms of the use of village funds. Each village should be required to have the ability to prevent and handle violence against children, women, and vulnerable groups.

Empowerment of Family Welfare (PKK), neighborhood/ community gatherings, spiritual activities, and community activities in villages, should be encouraged as a learning space to build norms of equality and justice for everyone and to eradicate sexism towards women. Not the other way around, as a space to perpetuate injustice and religious fanaticism.

High pressure in men

The murder of women by men, including husbands killing wives, happens due to various factors. Nur Hasyim, a sociology lecturer at the State Islamic University of Walisongo, Semarang, believes that in the current consumerist lifestyle and culture that places economic fulfillment on men, the level of pressure on men is very high.

This condition is exacerbated by society's perspective on men which is influenced by norms of masculinity. "What they believe is that men don't complain no matter what the circumstances, making men incompetent (handicap) to manage the pressure well, from what was originally ordinary stress to anxiety (anxiety< /i>), continues to become depression so that it then becomes a mental health problem in men," said Nur Hasyim who is also the founder of the New Men's Alliance

Also read: Female Murder Victims Thrown Away in Suitcases Also Happens in Bali

In the murder of Tarsum against his wife due to supernatural whispers to mutilate her, according to Nur, it is actually a form of justification or justification with supernatural reality.

The perceived paranormal reality that the perpetrator believes in actually reflects the real social reality that positions women as objects. Consequently, women become a sacrifice or victim in the beliefs of their husband or the man in question.

"So, the problem is indeed complex. There are personal, structural, or capitalist economic system dimensions, and there is also a sexist (patriarchal) mystical culture," said Nur Hasyim.

The incident showed that women are still very susceptible to becoming victims of violence. Some data shows that the majority of perpetrators of violence are close relatives such as husbands, boyfriends or ex-husbands/boyfriends.

The data is among those recorded in the Online Information System for Women and Child Protection (Simfoni PPA) in 2022. Simfoni notes that out of 11,266 cases of violence against women with 11,538 victims, the most common perpetrator is the partner.

"We urge the police to thoroughly investigate the case and impose sanctions on the perpetrators in accordance with applicable laws and regulations," said Ratna Susianawati, Deputy of Women's Protection at the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection.