Rumondang Naibaho, Jakarta – A number of civil society organisations under the Indonesian Women's Alliance (API) held a protest action in the Arjuna Wijaya or Horse Statue area of Central Jakarta on March 8. The action was to commemorate International Women's Day (IWD).
According to Detik's monitoring at the location on Saturday, the protesters began arriving at the Horse Statue at around 4.45 pm, having held a long-march from the Election Supervisory Board (Bawaslu) offices in Central Jakarta.
The action was attended by a number of women from various different circles and ages. The majority of the demonstrators wore purple and black clothes.
They could be seen caring a number of protest materials such as flags, posters, banners and umbrellas. They demanded equal rights for women.
"The level of violence against women has risen 10 percent. Stop violence in the home, stop violence in schools, stop violence by the state", read one of the posters brought by the protesters.
"We are deaf, it's not us who do not hear. But the government does not want to listen", read another poster highlighting women with hearing disabilities.
The protesters stood their ground at the Horse Statue even though it began to rain. They were seen wearing raincoats and holding umbrellas.
Meanwhile, traffic on Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat in the direction of the Merdeka Palace was partially closed. Only the Transjakarta bus lane was open and able to be passed through.
Then in the opposite direction, from the Merdeka Palace to Jalan Sudirman-Thamrin, there were no road closures and vehicles could pass through the road. (ond/amw)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Peringati Hari Perempuan Sedunia, Massa Aksi Longmarch ke Patung Kuda Jakpus".]
