Boost Protection for Women

Kompas/Priyombodo

Members of the Allied Movement of Women Against Violence hold a peaceful march in Central Jakarta on Sunday (8/3/2020) to commemorate International Women\'s Day 2020, traveling from the Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) to the State Palace. The march highlighted the importance of making systemic changes to eliminate violence against women.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Thousands of women and human rights activists urged the government and the House of Representatives to deliberate and approve several bills that protect women. These bills include the sexual violence bill, the domestic worker protection bill and the customary community bill. The government was also urged to immediately ratify International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention No. 190 on the elimination of workplace violence and harassment.

The demands grew louder during the commemoration of the 2020 International Women’s Day in Jakarta on Sunday (8/3/2020). Thousands of peaceful protesters under the banner of Gerak Perempuan (Women’s Movement) held a long march along Jl. MH Thamrin from in front of the Elections Supervisory Body (Bawaslu) office to the National Monument in commemoration of 2020 International Women’s Day.

KOMPAS/DENTY PIAWAI NASTITIE

A woman holds up a poster objecting to systemic patriarchy during a peaceful march on Sunday (8/3/2020) to mark International Women\'s Day 2020 in Central Jakarta. The march, which covered the entire length of Jl. M.H. Thamrin during Sunday’s Car Free Day and called for diversity, gender equality and the elimination of violence against women, was organized by the Allied Movement of Women Against Violence.

“Women have their minds subjugated, their bodies and dignity crushed and their access to justice obstructed. They have no safe space, be it at home, at work, while in education, in public space and in cyberspace,” said Mutiara Ika, a representative from Perempuan Mahardhika and Gerak Perempuan.

They demanded the government and the House revoke the ongoing legislation process of the omnibus law on job creation and the family resilience bill, which they believed would further threaten women’s freedom in Indonesia.

Other than demanding approval of the bills, they also demanded the state to immediately revoke all laws that were discriminatory and not based on gender justice principles, as well as those that violated human rights principles. They demanded the government and the House revoke the ongoing legislation process of the omnibus law on job creation and the family resilience bill, which they believed would further threaten women’s freedom in Indonesia.

The National Commission on Violence Against Women’s (Komnas Perempuan) 2020 Annual Report shows that women were often still trapped in unsafe conditions. The commission’s records show that, in the past 12 years, the number of reports of violence against women has increased almost eightfold.

Kompas/Priyombodo

Women and men take part in a peaceful march from the Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) to the State Palace in Central Jakarta, organized by the Allied Movement of Women Against Violence during Car Free Day on Sunday (8/3/2020) to commemorate International Women\'s Day 2020. The rally called for systemic changes to eliminate violence against women.

“The presence of laws that protect women from sexual violence is highly urgent to end the legal vacuum. This relates not only to criminal punishment for perpetrators but also the state’s presence in fulfilling victims’ right of justice, truth and recovery,” said Valentina Sagala, who chairs the board of founders of Women Institute.

Protests in Latin America

Other than in Jakarta, the International Women’s Day was also commemorated through street protests in Latin America’s biggest cities, including Buenos Aires in Argentina and Mexico City in Mexico. Women took to the streets to champion their rights.

In Mexico, a street protest was fueled by widespread anger over femicides, which have more than doubled in the past five years. “I’m going to march for each and every woman in this country, for the dead and the living, for the victims of violence,” said protester Carmen Rojas, 52, in Mexico City.

KOMPAS/PRIYOMBODO

A participant of a peaceful rally on Sunday (8/3/2020) to mark International Women\'s Day 2020 holds up a poster that reads: “Clothes are NOT a cause of sexual abuse.” The Allied Movement of Women Against Violence marched down Jl. M.H. Thamrin in Central Jakarta, calling for the deliberation and ratification of the Anti-Sexual Violence Bill, the Domestic Workers Protection Bill, and the Recognition and Protection of the Rights of Indigenous People Bill, as well as the ratification of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 190 on the Elimination of Violence and Harassment in the World of Work.

In Chile, senators have approved a bill aiming to give women an equal voice in compiling a new constitution. Furthermore, Chilean President Sebastian Pinera has also strengthened punishment for femicides. Meanwhile, Argentina is planning to form a Women’s Affairs Ministry. (SON/LOK/REUTERS)