Indonesian women’s rights activists have strongly expressed their disappointment over the country’s statement during the review of the draft document of the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Declaration on Advancing Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Bangkok on Wednesday.
Rita A.Widiadana, The Jakarta Post, Bangkok | Headlines | Thu, November 20 2014, 10:00 AM
Indonesian women’s rights activists have strongly expressed their disappointment over the country’s statement during the review of the draft document of the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Declaration on Advancing Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Bangkok on Wednesday.
The document was slated to be endorsed as the official ministerial declaration from countries in the Asia-Pacific region for the Beijing Platform for Action+20 on Thursday.
The activists voiced their deep concern over the fact that, among others, Indonesia rejects Australia’s statement on the reviews of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Vienna Declaration of Human Rights (paragraph 4) and instead supports Iran, Pakistan and Russia on matters of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Indonesia also supports India on the replacement of the term “conflict” with “armed conflict”, which goes against the Indonesian law on social conflict management. The country also refuses to recognize a woman’s right to land, property and inheritance.
“The fact that Indonesia supports the governments of Iran, Pakistan and Russia is a step back from what Indonesia has already achieved in the advancement of gender equality and women’s empowerment in the country,” said Rita Kolibonso, executive director of Mitra Perempuan Indonesia, the Indonesian Partnership for Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality.
The government, she pointed out, must be transparent and accountable in developing its diplomatic strategy to respond to any efforts in promoting the rights of Indonesian women and in the advancement of women and girls toward gender equality in every field.
Kolibonso, who is a former member of the ASEAN commission on the rights of children and women, said that Indonesia had achieved a great deal in terms of legislation and the implementation of programs for the advancement of women and girls.
Citing examples, she said Indonesia had issued Law No. 23/2002 on child protection and Presidential Instruction No. 9/2000 on gender equality. Indonesia also has Law No. 23/2004 on the elimination of domestic violence, Law No. 21/2007 on human trafficking and Law No. 7/2012 on social conflict. Three ministries — the Finance Ministry, Home Ministry, Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry — and the National Planning and Development Board (Bappenas) have issued a ministerial decree stipulating gender mainstreaming in the national budgeting plan.
“With the current statement, Indonesia is considered a left-behind country in the Asia-Pacific region. As one of the largest economies in the region, Indonesia should be ahead and be a role model for the promotion of gender equality and elimination of any forms of violence and discrimination against women and children,” said Ruby Kholifah from the Asian Muslim Action Network.
Responding to the feedback from civil society groups, Heru P. Kasidi, chair of the Indonesian delegates and deputy of gender equality, politics and legal section at the Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry, said that the delegates would accommodate input from all stakeholders.
“There was a series of discussions and meetings with all stakeholders in Indonesia to produce the draft statement,” he said.
The regional Beijing+20 review process is jointly organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in cooperation with UN Women.