Adelia Syahfitri – Scores of women activists from a joint committee greeted International Women’s Day (IWD) by holding a peaceful action at the Simpang Lima traffic circle in the Acehnese provincial capital of Banda Aceh on Friday March 8.

Wijaya Kusuma, Yogyakarta – Hundreds of women activists from the Central Java city of Yogyakarta held a peaceful action on Friday March 8 at the zero kilometer point near to the central post office to commemorate International Women’s Day (IWD).

Putra Prima Perdana, Bandung – Commemorating International Women’s Day (IWD) 2013, some 150 workers, the majority of which were women from the Independent Trade Union Federation (FSPM) and the Bango Soy Sauce Independent Trade Union, held a protest action in the West Java provincial capital of Bandung on Friday March 8.

Ambon – Student activists from the Student Struggle Center for National Liberation (PEMBEBASAN) held a protest action on the main road in front of the Sirimau Sectoral Police Headquarters (Mapolsek) in Ambon, Maluku, on Friday March 8.

Puji Utami, Semarang – Scores of activists from the Legal Resources Center for Gender Justice and Human Rights (LRC-KJHAM) along with a number of Central Java women’s organisations in the provincial capital of Semarang held a protest action to stop violence against women.

Moch. Andriansyah – Hundreds of young people from the One Billion Rising (OBR) community held huge street dance at the Bungku Park in the East Java provincial capital of Surabaya in an action protesting violence against women on Valentine’s Day.

Wijaya Kusuma, Yogyakarta – One Billion Rising (OBR) rising activist in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta (Yogya) will hold a dance action as a form of opposition to and concern over the widespread acts of violence and rape against women.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Ulama Council (MUI) and a number of Islamic mass organisations oppose attempts to ban female circumcision by any groups on the grounds that it represents a religious teaching, the implementation of which is a human right protected by the Indonesian constitution.

Feri Fernandes, Lhokseumawe – The administration of the northern Acehnese town of Lhokseumawe has officially issued a circular banning women passengers from straddling motorbikes. The circular has been posted at busy city centres. Below are the contents of the circular.

Feri Fernandes, Lhokseumawe – A local government circular banning women passengers from straddling motorbikes has been posted at public locations in the northern Acehnese town Lhokseumawe. The circular will be in effect for three months before being signed into law as a mayoral regulation.