VIVAnews - March 8, 2010
Jakarta – International
Women's Day, which falls on March 8, was commemorated by around 100 women
activists with a protest action in Central Jakarta.
The demonstrators, who came
from the Indonesian Women's Front (BPI) and the Indonesian People's Opposition
Front (FOR Indonesia), called on the government to pay more attention to women.
They also presented data to demonstrate the government's failure to protect
women.
"There is data that
every day 12 migrant workers die in the countries where they work," said
action coordinator Ruth Indiah Rahayu at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle on
Monday March 8.
Other data shows that every
day some 1,600 women workers are dismissed. "Every day 20 women are traded
as sexual commodities. Twelve people a day become victims of sexual
violence", added Rahayu.
The protesters called on
the government to pay more attention to women and to abolish government
policies that discriminate against women. "For example, the bylaws in
Aceh, when there is immorality, arrests, women are the ones that are punished.
Also the bylaws in Tangerang, women going out at night are arrested and deemed
to be commercial sex workers," she added.
As well as voicing their
demands, the activists also held a simulation people's court. In the
simulation, the president as the highest authority was held responsible for
injustice against women, based on the data cited earlier.
"This tribunal uses
what occurred in Japan as a reference, where the emperor was tried in case of
sex slaves during the Japanese occupation", said Rahayu.
Seated as the 'defendant'
in the simulation was a man in a grey jacket wearing a mask with a picture of
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY). The result of the hearing was that
'SBY' was declared guilty.
[Translated by James Balowski.]
