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Sri Rumiati: Sex crimes need a different kind of cop
Courtesy of Indra GunawanThe fans of the Semarang, Central Java-born 55-year-old police officer include activists from NGOs who, at first, might be seen as strange bedfellows with law enforcers
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Courtesy of Indra Gunawan
The fans of the Semarang, Central Java-born 55-year-old police officer include activists from NGOs who, at first, might be seen as strange bedfellows with law enforcers.
'Since knowing Mbak Rum, I've learned to not generalize that all Indonesian cops as the same,' said Herna Lestari, coordinator of the Foundation of Education and Health for Women (YPKP), referring to Rumiati by her nickname.
She described Rumiati as a rare breed of cop who had helped her NGO with no strings attached, frequently and without regard to compensation.
'I didn't know that police like that still existed nowadays,' Herna said. 'She has changed my perception of cops.'
Posted in the police's psychology unit since 1985, Rumiati has dealt with issues as diverse as assessing new recruits to working with the victims of physical and sexual violence. Among her friends in the NGOs, she has reputation as a good speaker: A soft-spoken policewoman who can present clear guidelines on how to deal with traumatized women.
Rumiati, who has a master's degree in psychology from Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, knows the issue all too well. Her work on the job entails interviewing the victims of sexual violence, a task that needs exceptional interpersonal skills and extraordinary patience.
'I was trapped because of my background as psychologist,' Rumiati joked, when asked about how she became a cop. She was drafted in 1985, when the police were still part of the Indonesian Military, then known as the ABRI, and conscription was still on the books.
At that time, the police were in dire need of psychologists for their human resources and psychology units, Rumiati said. 'I eventually decided to stay longer to serve the people.'
On the force, she's known as an aggressive campaigner for the equal treatment of women police officers. Her uphill battle against gender inequality resulted in, among other things, the elimination of the virginity test for women recruits.
She has also encouraged the force to recruit more women and to better train them. The National Police now regularly sends women police officers on short courses and seminars overseas, thanks to Rumiati's intensive lobbying efforts.
Rumiati said that women could play a greater role in the police force. Their roles, she noted, should not only be limited to peacemakers during heated rallies or as pretty mannequins on television to present a friendly face.
'Some cases, such as those where women are victims, are best handled by policewomen, so that the victims can become more open and more comfortable. However, how can we meet that goal if policewomen now only account for 3 percent of total force?' said Rumiati.
Rumiati's husband died in 2004, meaning she raised two children Adhita Widiadhari, now 25, and Adhi Satria, 23, alone.
Working as a single parent for a decade did not mean that she had to forfeit her idealism, honesty and integrity to better her family.
While some police officers live in posh houses in elite districts, Rumiati and her children still live in a small house in Joglo, West Jakarta.
The family lives modestly without a single housemaid. Each member of the family ' both children graduated from the University of Indonesia's economics faculty ' does the housework.
'Money is not everything. Whether [our money] is sufficient or not largely depends on the path that we choose in our lives,' said Rumiati.
Last year President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono awarded Rumiati the Bintang Bhayangkara Nararya, one of the highest honors given to police officers, for an unblemished career spanning 25 years
'She made me realize that being as a member of the police force is a noble job,' said Sr. Comr. Maryanto, a colleague on the police. 'Many people work for the sole purpose of money, but she inspired me to realize that that a police officer, after all, should work to serve the people.'
