Jayapura – The Women's and People's Resistance Alliance, which is made of activists from the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP), the Malang Student Struggle Centre for National Liberation (Pembebasan) and the Malang Kamisan (Thursday) Action, held a peaceful demonstration to commemorate International Women's Day (IWD) on Saturday March 8.
The action in the East Java city of Malang was held with the theme "Women on the Frontline and Building People's Consciousness".
During the IWD 2025 action, the Women's and People's Resistance Alliance took up a number of demands. In particular demanding the creation of safe and inclusive space for all genders, the ratification of the Draft Law on Protection of Domestic Workers (RUU PPRT), increasing the regional minimum wage (UMR) for women workers, the provision of menstrual, pregnancy and maternal leave and a 50 percent quota for women in all public offices.
They also called for land rights, education and health facilities for the former East Timorese refugee community and an end to the eviction of the Barabaraya, Pakel, Padang Halaban, Jemboran and Naghale communities.
Then, opening access to local, national and international journalists in West Papua, rejecting transmigration in Papua, the withdrawal of all organic and non-organic troops from Papua, the closure of all companies in Papua, rejecting new autonomous regions in the land of Papua, rejecting the free nutritious meals (MBG) program as a priority program, providing decent jobs for the community and rejecting and ending all national strategic projects (PSN).
The Women's and People's Resistance Alliance 28 demands:
- Create a safe and inclusive space for all genders
- Enact the Draft Law on the Protection of Domestic Workers
- Increase the regional minimum wage for women's workers
- Provide menstrual, pregnancy and maternal leave
- A 50 percent quota for women in all public officials
- Investigate the fatal 2022 Kanjuruhan soccer stadium stamped
- Provide justice for female and child victims in the Kanjuruhan tragedy
- Safe abortions for victims of sexual violence
- Demanding a commitment from educational institutions to investigate cases of sexual violence
- Fulfill the rights of women and children refuges impacted upon by agrarian disputes
- Provide land rights, education and health facilities for the former East Timorese refugee community
- Realise education that is free, scientific with a populist vision
- Provide free quality healthcare
- Stop the theft of indigenous land and enact the Draft Law on Indigenous Peoples
- Stop the eviction of the people of Barabaraya, Pakel, Padang Halaban, Jemboran and Naghale
- Stop the involvement of religious institutions in the exploitation of nature
- Enact the draft law on the seizure of corruptors' assets
- Reject the MBG program in Papua
- Open access to local, national and international journalists in West Papua
- Reject transmigration in the land of Papua
- Withdraw all organic and non-organic military from the land of Papuan
- Close all companies in the land of Papua
- Reject the new autonomous regions in the land of Papua
- Reject the MBG as a priority program and provide decent jobs for the community
- Reject and stop all PSN
- Remove the military from the civilian domain
- Reject the revisions to the Indonesian Military Law (UU TNI)
- Give the right of self-determination to the West Papua nation
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Ini 28 Tuntutan Hari Perempuan Internasional, Termasuk Menolak Program MBG di Tanah Papua".]
