SITI NOOR LAILA: (JP/Oyos Saroso H.N.)

One Saturday afternoon, a group of men visited the office of the Damar Institute for Women's Advocacy in Bandarlampung.

They wanted to convince the director not to defend a certain female victim of domestic violence, but were surprised to discover the director was a petite -- yet tough -- woman.

Siti Noor Laila, 41, who is fondly called Lela, was not intimidated by the men's threats. She refused to disclose the woman's whereabouts and told the men to just go home.

"She is in a *safe house' belonging to Damar (Institute)," Lela told them. "She needs peace and she will be all right ... while waiting for the legal process in court."

Lela has supported hundreds of female victims of violence and has often received threats from men and military officers, since establishing the institute, the only center that provides advocacy for women in Lampung province.

But the mother of three is not discouraged in her struggle to protect women from violence.

In 2006, there were 341 reported cases of violence against women in Lampung; 2007 saw 200 cases and from January to September this year, there were about 80 reported cases. But this official figures, according to Lela, are only the tip of the iceberg, with many cases remaining hidden from the public.

The most prominent cases involve abuse by the husband, rape and trafficking. In 2006, for example, there were 140 rape cases, 13 of which occurred in the home.

"That was the biggest number in Indonesia. This number was from data revealed to the public after victims had reported (the violence) to the police. It is likely that many victims did not report it because they were embarrassed."

Lela developed her courage to stare down threats as a law student at the Indonesian Islam University (UII) in Yogyakarta, when she was active in various organizations and chaired the Discussion Forum of Women.

She was also on the executive board of the Cut Nyak Dien Foundation in Yogyakarta and on the national executive board of Solidaritas Perempuan in Jakarta.

Her experiences gave Lela the confidence to speak about women's rights, politics and basic human rights. She was one of a few women to become a facilitator in a national workshop on human rights in Lampung, and has often led demonstrations in the fight for women's rights.

"Violence must be stopped, no matter where it happens. Lampung has the highest incidence of domestic violence in Indonesia. That's why my friends at Damar and I will not stop supporting women."

Lela's activism has brought her public recognition: In 2005, she was the recipient of the Indonesian Youth National Committee Award and has been listed by a local media outlet as one of the 100 most influential figures in Lampung.

But during her struggle, Lela said, she was not alone. Besides the Damar activists, hundreds of volunteers in several regencies and cities in the province assist her.

The volunteers, mostly women and many of whom are former victims of violence, are trained in advocacy for women who have suffered abuse.

"Thank God, now women in villages are aware they have the same rights as men," she said. "Regional administrations have started to support our efforts to protect women."

Lela said Lampung, known as a trafficking hotspot, is one of the main suppliers of women sold into Batam and Singapore.

"It's the work of a big syndicate. But we only know a little because it's difficult to trace the victims. Usually women who become trafficking victims are poor villagers. They are lured by middlemen to work in Batam."

Lela said that those who wanted to help victims of violence must risk facing threats and pressure from those members of the public who do not support women's emancipation.

"Lampung is unique. It might be the only area in Indonesia whose native community gives men the right to ask a woman to run away with him to get married. In Lampung, such a thing is called larian and it is considered legal," she said.

Under the larian tradition, a woman who elopes at the request of a man leaves a letter for her family before she is taken to the house of the man's relative. The woman's family will then meet the man's family to discuss marriage.

"Modernity has not made the larian tradition fade. On the contrary, there is a tendency for men to use this tradition to marry a woman. Parents who cannot accept this will report the case to the police and it becomes a criminal case," Lela said.

In a patriarchal society, such as Lampung's, Lela said it was considered common for men to beat their wife.

"In one case, a woman was black and blue after being beaten by her husband. We defended her even though we received threats."

She said she was thankful the Lampung administration accepted her idea to make a bylaw for the protection of women. She was also grateful the police and people of Lampung understood her institute's advocacy activities.

"If we support the victim of a *strong man', for example a military officer or a government official, usually police will help us, guarding our office. They often patrol around the office so we feel safe," she said.

"But as for the *safe house' for victims, no outsider knows its whereabouts. Not even all of our Damar activists know the address."

The Damar Institute provides the victims of violence with support in the form of a lawyer or counseling with a psychologist. Damar is funded by HIVOS, the Netherlands-based Humanist Institute for Development Cooperation.

Lela said women must fight for their rights. As part of this struggle she, along with several Lampung activists, established the Lampung Women's Movement (GPL) in July this year.

"GPL is nonpolitical and is an umbrella for women's organizations in Lampung, working together continuously, systematically, based on values of equality, anti-discrimination, anti-violence, independent with a goal to make social change toward justice for all (men and women)," she said.

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