Indonesere, der overlever et seksuelt overgreb, mødes af et lemfældigt retssystem, inaktivitet fra politiet og mistænkeliggørelse fra det øvrige samfund.
JAKARTA, 10 April 2012 (IRIN) Survivors are often reluctant to come forward because of attitudes within the family.
Herna (not her real name), 27, was abused by her mother’s partner between the ages of 9 and 16 but her family did not fully understand her trauma.
Left home
“I knew that what had happened to me was wrong,” she said. “I asked my stepfather for an apology, but he never gave it. Instead, my mother said to me that not everyone was perfect. After that, I left home for good.”
Santi (not her real name), 28, was molested by her swimming instructor when she was 14 years old.
“I didn’t say anything because I thought people would blame me if I reported it,” she said.
Serious problems
“Maybe they would say I shouldn’t have been in the pool with that man. I never sought help. For years I didn’t even acknowledge that it had happened to me and I had serious problems in relationships afterwards.”
94,000 cases
Indonesia is a signatory to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW),which aims to strengthen the human rights of women.
However, the National Commission on Violence Against Women notes that between 1998 and 2010 there were close to 94,000 cases of sexual violence reported against women, including rape, trafficking of women for sexual purposes, sexual harassment, sexual torture and sexual exploitation.
Theme (s): Gender Issues,
