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Sexual violence eradication bill: The canary in the coalmine
Despite the fact that the incidence of sexual abuse and violence in this country is alarmingly high, both the #MeToo movement and the Weinstein effect seem to have skipped Indonesia. Why is this?
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Female voice: Women’s rights activists stage a protest in front of the House of Representatives compound in Jakarta, on Tuesday, to express their support for the sexual violence eradication bill, which has not been deliberated since 2016 while cases of sexual violence continue to mount. The activists will stage similar actions on coming Tuesdays. (JP/Donny Fernando)
Y
ou have most likely heard of the #MeToo movement against sexual abuse, but have you heard of the “Weinstein effect”?
Like #MeToo, it’s a global trend of “exposing allegations of sexual misconduct by famous or powerful men”. It started in the United States after the allegations against film producer Harvey Weinstein in 2017, described as a watershed moment that “precipitated a national reckoning against sexual harassment”.
The list of celebrities and politicians – mainly men – who tumbled from their high positions as a result of allegations against them, or actual sex crimes they committed, was like a list of who’s who in their respective fields, and not just in the US. It shook up politics, the media, the entertainment industry, fashion and also educational and religious institutions.
The Hollywood movie mogul himself was found guilty of a criminal sexual act and rape in the third degree in February, and in March was sentenced to 23 years’ imprisonment. In fact for 30 years there had been claims of sexual misconduct against him, but he got away with it until The New York Times broke the first reports on Oct. 5, 2017. The allegations against him were enough to have him removed from The Weinstein Company.
Despite the fact that the incidence of sexual abuse and violence in this country is alarmingly high, both the #MeToo movement and the Weinstein effect seem to have skipped Indonesia. Why is this?
Okay, I realize we are light years away from a post-patriarchal world, but in Indonesia, patriarchy is extremely deeply entrenched.
Mutiara Ika, coordinator of Perempuan Mahardika, a women’s NGO, stated that "Violence against women is systemic [and] the government has neglected the marginalization and repression of women".
