Indoleft | Women activists launch sticker campaign against sexual violence

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Women activists launch sticker campaign against sexual violence

Tempo - March 6, 2012

Government ignoring upsurge in sexual violence against women - Pelita Online. March 5, 2012
'The state is also complicit in the rape of women' - Seruu. March 4, 2012
Women activists call on government to revoke discriminatory bylaws - Tribune News. March 4, 2012
'Indonesia Without the FPI' action avoids confrontation with FPI - Detik News. February 14, 2012
'Indonesia Without the FPI' action calls for end to violence - Detik News. February 14, 2012

Atmi Pertiwi, Jakarta – Twenty or so women from the Women's Justice Forum (Forum Keadilan Perempuan, FKP) distributed around 500 stickers on busses and city public transport vehicles at the Kampung Rambutan bus terminal in East Jakarta on March 6. Written on the yellow stickers was, "Stop rape and sexual harassment".

The stickers are intended as part of a campaign demanding an end to sexual violence against women. The activists are calling on the government to be firm in fully investigating cases of sexual harassment and violence against women. "Cases of sexual violence such as the May 1998 [riots in Jakarta] have still not been explained to this day", said campaign field coordinator Dian Novita from the Free Women National Committee (KNPM).

Novita said that the campaign intentionally targeted the Kampung Rambutan bus terminal because it is one among several points for the departure of busses and city public transport vehicles to the outskirts of Jakarta. According to Novita, it is in the areas on the outskirts of Jakarta that most of cases of sexual violence have occurred on public transport vehicles.

Quoting from KNPM data, Novita said that there were 93,960 cases of sexual violence out of a total of 400,939 cases of reported violence. "Accordingly, every day there are 20 women who fall victim to sexual violence", said Novita.

The data also shows that rape is the most common type of sexual violence that is occurring, accounting for more than 50 percent of all documented cases or 4,845 cases. Last year alone, the Metro Jaya regional police recorded 68 cases of crimes involving rape.

Cases of rape on public transport vehicles meanwhile have occurred on at least six occasions in the last six months. One of these was the case of Livia Pavita Soelistio, a Bina Nusantara University student and R, a housewife from the Jakarta satellite city of Depok. "Unfortunately, to this day there is yet to be a full resolution of these cases", said Novita.

The sticker campaign is also being conducted in the lead up International Women's Day that falls on March 8. Tomorrow, they plan to conduct a sticker campaign in front of the State Palace in Central Jakarta. "We will hand them out to drivers who pass in front of the Palace", said Novita.

[Stiker 'Stop Perkosaan' di Angkot - TEMPO.CO. Selasa, 06 Maret 2012. Translated by James Balowski.]

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