Indonesia is not an exception. This nation celebrates its Mother’s  Day every Dec. 22 That day was chosen because on Dec. 22, 1928, the first Indonesian Women’s Congress was held in Yogyakarta.

Back then, the congress was seen as a milestone for the women’s movement in Indonesia, especially in relation to the independence movement.

Through the congress, Indonesian women declared that they are an integral and inseparable part of Indonesia’s struggle against colonial rule.

Interestingly, politics is not the only issue on the table. During the congress, participants also discussed ways to improve mothers’ health, common action to prevent women trafficking and ideas to make women have more of a say in domestic matters within a family.

Looking back after 82 years, it is interesting now to measure how far Indonesian women have come since those early days.

Moreover, it is really important to raise the ultimate question: After more than eight decades of the women’s movement, has Indonesia become a friendly country for mothers yet?

To answer that question, let us first check the facts: Nowadays, mothers in Indonesia are nine times more likely to die during pregnancy or childbirth compared to those in Malaysia.

If you compare this to a more developed country like Singapore, you’ll find a more depressing
number: Indonesian women are 43 times more likely to die during pregnancy.

This means that every other day three mothers die in the course of pregnancy or childbirth in
Indonesia.

For your information, the Indonesian maternal mortality ratio is among the highest in Asia.

The reason for that poor health performance is simple: Marginal and poor communities have no
access to a qualified health service. Furthermore, if they are able to access it somehow, it is still
useless.

They might run the risk of not being able to afford it. Look at these numbers: This year alone there were 17 cases of newborn babies kept by hospitals — including by government-run hospitals, because the baby’s families could not afford to pay the delivery bill.

And this is only the tip of the iceberg — since these cases are just the ones that the media reported.

These tragedies show that there are bigger problems in our maternal healthcare provision.

The second fact to consider before answering the question is related to breastfeeding. It is widely known that breast milk is the best food for babies. It gives babies all the nutrition they need to grow bigger and healthier.

However, ironically, in Indonesia there are no facilities for working mothers who want to claim their right to exclusively breastfeed their babies. Why? Again, a simple fact: There is no law that obliges employers to organize a breastfeeding room for their employees who happen to be mothers.

There are 34.33 million women in the Indonesian workforce (based on government statistics from 1997), and this number grows at a rate of 4.76 percent per year.

However, there seems to be a lack of urgency to enact a national and provincial policy or legislation to support breastfeeding among working mothers.

Many employers seem to forget that breastfeeding in the end also benefits them: Working women who breastfeed their babies have a lower absentee rate and they return to the office faster.

The third fact is the widespread use of tobacco and smoking among Indonesians. Mothers and their
children are more likely to be harmed by secondhand smokes due to the absence of tobacco control laws and smoke-free policies in this country.

Another sad fact about mothers’ health in Indonesia is their mental health problems.

If mothers suffer from depression in Indonesia, they are less likely to receive appropriate care. This
year alone there were nine cases of suicides involving mothers who took the lives of their children
as well.

One case was suspected to be the result of baby blue syndrome, as the baby was taken in the suicide act when it was just 28 days old.

Survivors of these kinds of unfortunate acts have explained that they sought to take their children with them because they were afraid no one would take care of them after their death. This message was also prominent in some of the suicide letters from women who did end their lives.

Having stated all of these facts, I want to stress that being a mother is a complex process. Therefore it needs a complex undertaking in the field to support it.

Supporting mechanisms should not only come from the mothers’ traditional safety net system, i.e. family and friends, but also from the government, the health industry and other private sectors as
well.

Everyone must realize that having healthy mothers is a big investment to build a healthy future generation.

Finally, in relation to the coming Mother’s Day, perhaps it is the best time for all mothers in this country to campaign together, advocating for “a more mother-friendly Indonesia”.

After all, since its conception, Mother’s Day here has never been a domestic celebration, but instead always a political movement.

The writer is a health practitioner who graduated from the Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam, Holland.

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