The coordinator of Civil Society for Children and Women in Surakarta (Komasipera) , Idha Musfi says that her organization never discussed with the City Government about the situation of women and children in the city.
In the first year of its foundation, the alliance has organized a variety of activities such as mapping child and women issues, by engaging the Integrated Service Posts (PPT) in each urban settlements in Surakarta City. It also engages a number of resource people, including professionals such as doctors and psychologists in a number of discussions about community education and sexual violence. The reflection takes place at Anawin Room, Yayasan Yaphi on Wednesday (22/01)
Haryati Panca Putri from Yayasan Yaphi explains that Komasipera is home to people who have genuine interests on women and children. Komasipera is not part of Yayasan Yaphi, it is a network. In 2024, Yayasan Yaphi dealt with four cases of sexual violence and there was a lack of synergy with the stakeholders at policy-decision level within the government, so the case management and coordination were not at its full potential, as happened in the case in Sukoharjo District. One hurdle was the absence of an MoU. It is through Komasipera network that member organistions may be able to upgrade capacity, and come up with common perspective.
Rita from Yayasan Kakak also faces similar issue in the organisation’s accompaniment of children who are victims of sexual violence. She offers a path forward for Komasipera to avoid being partisan. Her organisation saw a challenge within the Police, when the latter tries to arrange a meeting between victim and perpetrator and to set aside the legal avenue. It does so on the basis of path experience with “Vina case” and it tries to be cautious. The other issue, as happens in one case, is that the perpetrator helps pay the cost of the victim’s child, and when the victim reports to the Police about the case, the payment stops. In addition, there is also a regulation that instructs victims to go to the Social Worker(s) at the Social Agency. When there is a court proceeding with the child present, the judge wants the social worker(s) to be present, yet the latter is (are) not present and there is no prior notice.
Yayasan Kakak has good records, for example, UPTD PTPAS Surakarta is tremendously helpful – psychologically - to child victims, by visiting regularly. And when the result of health check at the RSJD arrive, it could help make a claim. Awareness becomes more heightened with the introduction of the Education Minister Regulation No. 46 Year 2023, the establishment of a task force, and victim accompaniment initiatives at school.
Pamikatsih from GEDSI Class states that gender remains major issue to fight for, even after seven years of learning about GEDSI, and this is the reason she sues. “We are made a fool even to this day. This nation gets rid of the old view, not because of modernization or outside influence, but it is the State itself that wants to get rid of it. We must look back at our own oppression as women and people with disability. When I went to the mosque, I want a smooth path, and I was told that wheelchair is a nuisance. I argue with Mr Dian Nafi at the Grand Mosque. I argue the Catholic Church. The priest is a friend of mine, and asked whether the Church can set up a guiding path to the storage facility,” says Pamikatsih of the advocacy she does a while back.
Kasiyati from Majelis Hukum dan HAM (MHH) Aisyiyah reiterates the fact about violence that happened to a wife by her own husband. The interpretation of the word "beating" is from the Ministry of Religion. Even a traditionalist religious scholar would argue that "none should touch the epidermis". “We are not allowed to accompany a client for polygamy,” says Kasiyati.
In 2024, MHH Aisyiyah dealt with 900 cases in Central Java, with divorce as the biggest number of cases. To her, the most urgent issue for women after a divorce, is being a single parent, when the ex-husband contributes nothing to the child’s upbringing, despite the Supreme Court regulation articulating such contribution. Kasiyati also touch on the issue of women victims as an area missing from case management. There is no formula yet to protect children who are victims of parents’ divorce.
Another important issue for Kasiyati is the violence perpetrated by girls to boys, particularly amongst young people and university students. Worse still, the perpetrator(s) hire(s) people to commit violence, and they even hire lawyers. “It is extremely difficult when we are dealing with cross-border issues, where victims comes from one are (i.e. Solo) and the perpetrator comes from another area (i.e. Sukoharjo). We cannot produce evidence yet, because we are still dealing with the trauma. The process is long, and the trauma is gone now. And then we are reporting it to the Police,” she says.
Abdullah from LKBHI that what LKBHI has done, in terms of services to women and children who are victims of violence, is to provide consultation and psychological counseling. In a number of cases, the perpetrators are within and outside of the campuses, such as lecturers and cleaning service staff, while the victims are students and women and children outside of campuses. The violence may be conventional form of violence or online. There is one case where the victim and the perpetrator are both male, with different sexual orientation, and the victim becomes a victim after joining online dating application.
In closing, Vera kartika Giyantari says that Komasipera is open to everyone who is interested in addressing women and children issues – including education of people with disability. It is then a matter of who is going to take what roles, and doing what, and it does not always have to be Yaphi. In other words, whoever has program to encourage civil societies to move are welcome. To date, we are empowering the civil society and dealing with cases. In the future, we need to strengthen/empower families, address patterns of child raising, education and prevention of radicalisation. (Ast)
