Lusiana Yosefa lost her father when she was 6.

She was raised by her mother, who bakes cakes for a living on Lembata Island in NTT. 

Now 19, Lusiana still remembers when her father physically abused her mom.

“Blood was streaming down the side of my mother’s head. Her clothes and marriage certificate were burned. I still cannot accept or tolerate what he did. However, this does not mean that I hate him,” she said.

These bitter memories have made her stronger, motivating her to pursue education beyond high school to get a better life and help others.

Besides helping her mother sell cakes in Lembata, Lusiana, who is now studying Physics Education at Nusa Cendana University in Kupang, also works to promote eco-friendly and energy sufficient tools such as lamps, stoves and water filters.

Lusiana and 10 other women aged 15 to 27 from the province share their stories in a photobook entitled Yang Terbit Bersama Matahari: Kisah Perempuan Muda NTT Menuju Kesetaraan (Rise with Sun: Stories of Girls from NTT Reaching Equality). The book was created by Youth Coalition for Girls organization.

The 11 women are participants in a youth empowerment program provided by Plan International Indonesia, an independent humanitarian organization that advances children’s rights and equality for girls.

Photographed by Dwinda Nur Oceani, Hana Sayyida and Valentino Luis, the photobook features over 40 color shots and was exhibited at the Senayan City shopping mall in Jakarta recently. The book shows off “girl-power” in NTT.  

Unlike Lusiana, Elizabeth was abandoned by her boyfriend who ran away after impregnating her when she was a 19-year-old university student.

She still remembers the pain of social stigma as her neighbors ridiculed and scorned her for getting pregnant out of wedlock. She then dropped out of university. However, after giving birth to a baby boy, Elizabeth rose up. 

To earn a living, she works as a book-keeper at the furniture shop of her brother. Early in the morning, she sells wrapped rice at traditional markets. She is also studying at a new university where she is known as a bright student.

Juggling university and workplace commitments might sound challenging, but Elizabeth uses it as a way to grow to become a tough and independent woman.

In NTT, discrimination against women has forced many girls to drop out of their 12-year compulsory education program.

Gender discrimination can occur in many forms, ranging from segregation due to out-of-wedlock pregnancy to early and forced marriage.

  According to  data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), 27 percent of all senior high school male students in NTT graduated in 2016, compared to 25 percent of female students.

Of people aged 19 to 24 accessing higher education, men outnumber women. 

In 2015, 19 percent of women aged 20 to 24 got married before they turned 18.

Another participant in the youth empowerment program, Adelina Tefa, said since Plan International had promoted gender equality and advocated against discrimination against women at her village of Fatulunu in Timor Tengah Selatan in 2014, early marriage had been forbidden.

“In my village, there is a regulation that parents have to pay a fine if they wed their underage children,” she said.  

In Fatulunu, parents will not let their children marry if they have yet to prove that they are financially independent and have life skills.

“Every girl must be able to weave fabric, while every boy must know how to farm. We have mastered weaving skills since fourth-grade. If we cannot do that, we may not marry,” Adelina said.

In her village, the 22-year-old is busy weaving and developing a farmer’s group, in which she leads young people to plant vegetables on unused land.

For two years, Adelina has been in charge of monitoring and supervising development projects, such as the maintenance and repair of roads and dams. 

The 11 girls in the book have proven that they deserve equal rights and access to economic resources.

The number of unemployed women is bigger than that of unemployed men in the province, which is home to 5.2 million people.

“We often see, hear and witness discrimination against girls just because they are girls. For example, they quit school because they are forced to marry, get pregnant out of wedlock, are bullied by schoolmates or are sexually violated,” said Sanita Rini, the vice president of the Youth Coalition for Girls, which held the photo exhibit.

“This book aims to make more people understand what girls experience in NTT. We hope people will be inspired to promote gender equality,” she added.

Through the photobook, the girls roar. 

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