Indonesia

Women are guaranteed equality under the constitution in Indonesia. Convention forms part of the domestic law of Indonesia and has been cited before courts in discrimination cases. The Committee and the regional BPfA report highlighted that the Indonesian Government has addressed the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action through the introduction of an Indonesian National Action Plan. The government is now legally required to formulate national policies aimed at ending discrimination in the workplace, and a National Plan to End Violence Against Women has been adopted.

However, there are remaining obstacles delaying the full achievement of women’s equality ranging from legal impediments, localised armed conflict to social and cultural practices that harm women. The Committee noted the existence of laws to be harmonised with the provisions of the Convention. They include: family and marriage, including polygamy; age for marriage; divorce and the requirement that a wife obtain her husband's consent for a passport; economic rights, including ownership and inheritance of land; access to loans and credits; entitlement to social, health and other benefits in the labour sector and the requirement that a wife obtain her husband's consent for night employment; health, including the requirement that the wife obtain her husband's consent with regard to sterilisation or abortion, even when her life is in danger. As workers, women generally receive lower wages than men; in some industries, female employees are hired as daily labourers, allowing employers to avoid the extension of benefits. Women’s literacy rates and health status are generally lower than men’s. Muslim women face particular obstacles to equality before shari’a courts.

Recommendations of the Committee include the collection and analysis of data on the extent, causes and consequences of the problem of violence against women in Indonesia, as well as gender sensitisation of authorities, including the judiciary, law enforcement officers, lawyers, social workers, health professionals or others who are directly involved in combating violence against women. CEDAW Committee and Beijing +10 reports and women’s NGOs have all called attention to issues of trafficking and FGM, as well as workplace harassment, especially in relation to domestic workers.

Given the gap between theory and reality for women’s rights in Indonesia, many programme activities will be targeted toward making real the de jure guarantees extended to women under the law. Training of government officials and judges, will focus on ways these officials could directly implement CEDAW’s norms and standards. One of the key issues to address in this connection is whether the programme could explore the relationship between CEDAW norms and shari’a law.

Indonesia has a strong NGO base, working to end violence against women, fighting for new government policies and providing assistance for women who have experienced violence. Partnerships with NGOs that have been engaged in CEDAW monitoring for some time will be crucial to the project’s work, including generating research data drawing on existing analysis. Training for NGOs will focus on these substantive areas, as well as on the Optional Protocol.

Legal Review of Women’s Political Rights

Indonesia

15 October 2005 – 31 October 2006 The legal review of women’s political rights is funded by UNIFEM and implemented by UNIFEM’s national partner the Indonesian Center for Women in Politics (ICWP). This exercise aims to review and identify legislations that are inconsistent with CEDAW principles, and to formulate proposals for legal amendments to harmonise the laws and various implementing regulations regarding political rights with CEDAW. In addition, the review is aimed at developing plans of actions to engage multiple stake holders in future campaigns.

Under this activity, members of a working group conducted analysis of existing laws and implementing regulations in the area of political rights that are discriminatory to women, in order to produce recommendations leading to law revisions and amendments to eliminate discrimination against women, and to implementation of these. Furthermore, the activity will produce a strategy for legislative advocacy towards increasing women’s political participation.

National High Level Meeting on CEDAW implementation and State Obligation.

5 September 2006, Hilton Hotel, Jakarta, Indonesia A National High Level Meeting on the Implementation and State Obligation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) was held on 5 September 2006. Organised by Indonesia’s Ministry of Women Empowerment in cooperation with the UNIFEM CEDAW South East Asia Programme, the meeting was attended by over 100 senior representatives from the Parliament, the Supreme Court, General Attorney Office, key women’s NGOs and the academia. [Full story]

“Commitments, Strategies and Actions of Realization of Women’s Rights Towards Ending Discrimination and Violence against Women and Girls in Indonesia”
 

 31 March  2005 Athlete Century Park Hotel, Jakarta, In commemoration of International Women’s Day, a seminar workshop was held in Jakarta, Indonesia. This workshop was attended by around 225 participants from various backgrounds such as women’s NGOs, youth organization, representatives from politics parties, teacher’s forum, state departments (social department, women empowerment department, and religion department), broadcast/radio, religious organizations, etc.