Week 3: Blog post 1b: Asia: Indonesia: Survey finds widespread violence against women

 A nationwide survey had revealed at least one third of the women in Indonesia have experienced violence in their lives through the article "Survey finds widespread violence against women" in The Jakarta Post and the article discussed mainly about the statistics of the survey, the form of the violence, and the bill to be proposed against it. 33.4 percent of the 9000 women between the ages of 15 and 64 from various economic and educational backgrounds have responsed to have experienced violence and among them, 15.3 percent were sexual violence and 9.1 were physical abuse. From groping, making unwanted sexual advances, sending obscene messages or pornographic materials to being forced to have intercourse, the form of the crime was various. As a response to this growing trend of violence, a number of female lawmakers have taken the initiative to propose a bill which includes stipulations that will encourage women to speak up about their experiences, hoping to make them feel in a sanctuary. This news covering the fact that one out of three Indonesian women have been abused focuses on the result of the survey, the ways the perpetrators have taken, and the legal response against the violence.

 Reading the article, I can't be fully agree with the direction Indonesia is taking because as a citizen of Korea which is a female-protecting society I have experienced institutional, physical, and mental discrimination. First of all, I had to serve at the military for two years while my female friends spent their time doing what they enjoy and I think this cannot be justified by the physical weakness of the women because women in many other countries are serving at the army as well and there are alternatives to help increase the national defense power. Secondly, when working in a mixed-sex group I was mostly designated to do work that involves physical strength without being asked, even when the work was not hard for women to do such as throwing the garbage away. Lastly, when I failed to lift heavy objects, some women would say the old phrase in Korea "Can't you even lift that being a man?" thinking it is a joke which made me very uncomfortable. These experience about discrimination caused by the policy, strength difference, and stereotype tells me that the way Indonesia is taking to protect women from crimes might cause some side effects.

Aritonang, Margareth S. "Survey Finds Widespread Violence against Women." The Jakarta Post. The Jakarta Post, 31 Mar. 2017. Web. 31 Mar. 2017.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/03/31/survey-finds-widespread-violence-against-women.html