Letter: The fate of Papuan women

I refer to a letter titled “Celebrating Women’s Day with sadness,” (The Jakarta Post, March 9). I too feel the sadness of women during this International Women’s Day (March 8).

I praise and highly respect my peer activists who do not tire of campaigning on the streets and everywhere else, despite the fact they have been ignored by the state. Or is the country really celebrating the day as a festivity?

People do not consider the issues around us as serious business. I would like to talk about the unfinished business in Papua, the land in which I live, and the serious level of poverty, while we see the huge amount of dollars flowing from the gold mine.

There are so many cases of human rights violations against the Papuans, particularly women, plus the lack of protection of women during the many conflicts old and new, not to mention the violations suffered by Papuan women during the conflicts.

Many women are chased by the local police for selling things near the market. That is one example of the violence they face daily. Papuan women cannot afford to pay the rental cost of having a stand or kiosk in the market, just for selling betel nuts.

When they do earn money from selling the betel nuts, their beloved husbands are ready to “fetch” the money to buy cigarettes and alcohol, leaving the women wondering about their life and preparing to be beaten at home as no food is served to the men.

While women activists and women in the family welfare movement (PKK) in Papua have worked very hard without pay, yet we see that so much of the government’s money is being corrupted. These women volunteers have subsidized Papua and the whole country for so long.
 
Sereny Firdaus
Merauke, Papua