Jakarta – Around 100 women activists from the Women’s Anti-Poverty Movement (GPAK) held a peaceful action at the State Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday March 8 to commemorate International Women’s Day.

During the action protesters urged President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to pay more attention to women’s issues. “Women’s lives have always been one of oppression starting with domestic violence, human trafficking and the persecution suffered by women migrant workers”, said action coordinator Ria Mariana.

According to Mariana, the Yudhoyono government’s only skill is in enacting legislation, its enforcement however remains weak, and this is evident from the cases of violence against women that continue to take place. The protesters also opposed the enactment of the Draft Pornography Bill (RUU APP) because they regard it as restricting women’s rights.

“Aside from this, this issue is already regulated by the Criminal Code. If bare-chested people are to be made an issue out of what about people at the Kraton [Sultan’s Palace in Yogyakarta] who are linked to the history of establishing this nation”, she said.

Mariana warned that the government is also looking backward, particularly to the period of the administration Indonesia’s founding President Sukarno when women were prohibited from wearing clothing “you can see” [original in English – JB] and men from wearing long hair although it was not explicitly regulated by law.

The hundreds of activists who came from a number of organisations including the National University Student Activist Association (Hamas), the Indonesian Trade Union Action Committee (KASBI), the National Student Front (FMN), the Independent Trade Union Movement (GSBI) and the National Student League for Democracy (LMND) gave speeches at the Hotel Indonesia roundabout before holding the action at the State Palace. (Ant/OL-06)

[Translated by James Balowski.]