T

he above question often comes to my mind whenever I hear, read or deal with gender-based problems such as domestic violence and sexual harassment, of which the majority of the victims are women.  

Take domestic violence, a problem with widespread misconceptions that places female victims in terrible situations. I have known some cases of domestic violence first hand.

In one case, I intended to help a desperate victim. As I could not handle the problem alone, I spoke to someone who I thought would be on my side, but was very disappointed when he said it was the victim'€™s domestic matter so we had better not interfere.

Soon after, I met another person who blamed the woman for triggering the violence. So my efforts to seek support for the victim were a waste of time.

Now take sexual harassment. It breaks my heart when I see victims of sexual harassment suffer trauma, stigma and find it difficult to secure justice.

In such cases, there is a negative atmosphere and a widespread misconception of sexual harassment that both the victim and the assisting individual must face. People underestimate the seriousness of the problem. There is a strong tendency to blame the female victim. There is even a denial that such
a problem exists.

These experiences tell me that seeking help is a problem not only for victims of domestic violence and sexual harassment, but also for people who want to rescue them.

It is extremely difficult to handle such delicate matters in a world with a strong patriarchal culture.

The problem becomes more complicated when it comes to a special type of sexual harassment and the surrounding situation in which it occurs, namely rape in a conflict situation.

In 2008 I met an ex-sex slave, also known as a '€œcomfort woman'€, during Japan'€™s occupation in Indonesia in 1942-1945.

The lady was among thousands of sex slaves in Asian countries in the 1940s. She was old and frail but was still able to clearly recall the dark times of her life.

She was captured when she was only 14-years-old. For years she and others were locked up in a kind of brothel and were forced to provide sexual services to Japanese soldiers, up to several men a day.

Her womb was damaged as a result of repeated rape, which meant she was unable to have children. As is the case of many rape victims, she bore the trauma and the negative stigma on her own, with no support.

In today'€™s world, sexual harassment in conflict prone zones still occurs, such as those reported in the international media about some women demonstrators in Egypt and Syria who are sexually harassed and raped.

Sexual harassment '€” including rape '€” is often reduced to no more than a problem of '€œinappropriate'€ behavior with either light sanctions or no sanctions at all for the perpetrators. Domestic violence is viewed as merely a '€œcommon'€ husband-wife dispute or a way a husband '€œeducates'€ his wife '€” meaning others should not interfere as it is a private matter.

We have not yet discussed other gender-based problems that are misleadingly considered as '€œlight'€ such as discrimination against women in social life. The impacts on women of this discrimination may not be necessarily light.

Lower school participation rates for girls, lower wages for female employees, women being deemed unsuitable for leadership positions and women forbidden from going out at night are common forms.

Women from all walks of life may at some point face one or more of these forms of discrimination, the substance of which is that women are being denied their basic rights because of their sex.

When '€œhard core'€ problems such as domestic violence and rape are underestimated and are not brought to justice, '€œlighter'€ problems such as the ones previously described find it even more difficult to receive attention. When it comes to women'€™s problems, they are often considered less important than others.

So are women'€™s problems really problems? Yes they are, and they need to be addressed properly.

Changing attitudes toward women is just as important as implementing the laws that protect them. People implementing these laws should be gender sensitive and show empathy to the victims so the laws work as intended.

Gender awareness campaigns should also be carried out continuously and strategically. By doing so, we will create a safer and a brighter future for our daughters and free them from all forms of violence and discrimination.

The writer is a lecturer at Parahyangan Catholic University'€™s School of Social and Political Sciences in Bandung.