A

span class="caption" style="width: 398px;">Armed: Aikido students fight each other during a class in Senayan.The rising cases of violence against women in public places and in the home have left some Indonesian women with no choice but to fight back to protect themselves.

And, these women’s battles now include kicking, hitting, attacking and pepper spraying any men who threaten their safety.
 

Readying: A woman and man practice aikido at the Sakura Dojo in Senayan on March 19.

One of the women joining this band of sisters is Famega Syavira Putri, who recently bought pepper spray online to arm herself against the bad guys on the street.

The 26-year-old decided to purchase the spray following an incident when her wallet was stolen.

A group of pickpockets cornered Famega on a bus last year, snatching her wallet without giving her a chance to fight back.

“I bought the device so I can give these guys a lesson in the future,” Famega explained.

But the journalist seems to have plenty of solid reasons to arm herself in such a way, mostly to protect herself from criminals on the streets of Jakarta.

Having a profession that requires her to be mobile all the time, including late at night, makes the girl more prone to many types of crimes.

The sexual abuse on public transportation that has occurred lately has added to her concerns over her safety, encouraging her to take matters into her own hands.

Famega and perhaps other Indonesian women know that they cannot always rely on the authorities to defend them all the time.

The increasing cases of violence against women from year to year have actually shown how unreliable Indonesian law enforcers are when it comes to protecting female citizens.

The National Commission on Violence against Woman recorded a 13 percent increase in the number of cases reported in 2011, at 119,107 cases from 105,103 the previous year.

The commission collected the data from 395 centers for women scattered in 33 provinces in Indonesia.

The commissioner, Yustina Rostiawati, blamed the escalation on the ignorance of law enforcers in dealing with such cases.

She referred to the way the authorities handle rape cases, instead of offering assistance, for example, they tend to corner the victims and blame them for dressing inappropriately.

“If that is the case, it will be difficult for women to get protection [from the authorities],” Yustina said.

Looking at the state’s inability to defend its women, it is no surprise that some brave female figures
decided to act to defend themselves.

These courageous figures include 37-year-old Winta Dewi, a petite woman who works as a secretary in Jakarta.

Her diminutive figure and innocent look have made her an easy target for criminals.

The mother of two said she frequently received threats from unknown men who harassed her on the street.

Luckily, Winta has been in aikido class for two years so criminals really should not underestimate the small woman only 151 centimeters tall.

“I once beat a guy trying to harass me at a crossing bridge in Sudirman,” she proudly shared.

Winta, however, explains that the goal of learning aikido, a Japanese martial art, is not solely to learn good fighting skills but also to maintain alertness of the surroundings.

Aikido, which doesn’t promote violence, trains people to increase their self-awareness and use enemies’ power to beat them.

“Most of the women in my class learn aikido for self-defense,” said Emilia Kusuma, the founder of Sakura Dojo, an aikido training center in Senayan.

As the need for self-protection for women is increasing, almost half of Emilia’s 400 students are women.

The widespread cases of violence that have increased women’s insecurity about their own safety have not only prompted the swarming of Indonesian women to martial arts classes but has also triggered a new trend of buying personal self-defense weapons like pepper spray and handheld stun guns.

Women can easily get these devices on the Internet at affordable prices of less than Rp 100,000 (US$10.90) for pepper spray.

Rest stop: Aikido students take a break from the Japanese martial art.In fact, it is not only women who are interested in buying. Denny Armandhanu plans to buy one for his wife so she can protect herself when she goes home late at night.

“We also plan to buy a taser gun for our child, who is still 4 months old,” the 26-year-old said, joking.

Psychologists consider this a woman’s last resort to protect herself.

“This means that the feeling of being threatened has culminated and the most realistic solution is to fight,” said Kristi Poerwandari, a psychologist focusing on gender and women’s studies from the University of Indonesia (UI).

Women need to react actively, Kristi said, under conditions in which the country has failed to defend them.

However, sociologists and other experts on women’s issues doubt its effectiveness, believing the personal fight is only a short-term solution that does not resolve the root of the problem.

“We must remember that most abuse of women happens at home by family members and close relatives,” Martha Santoso Ismail of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) said, referring to the fact that more than 70 percent of cases of violence against women are domestic violence.

Looking at the problem, UI sociologist Purnianti urged society to become more sensitive and be on guard to women’s safety.

“When the country and law enforcers cannot be relied on to protect women, it is better to seek help from your surroundings,” she said.

The reason why Indonesia is considered to have failed to protect its women, according to UNFPA national program officer on gender Lany Harijanti, is that women have never been its priority.

One example showing the government’s indifference is the small number of female police officers, Lany said.

She estimated that currently female police officers only accounted for 3 percent of the total, a figure that is deemed far from enough to give assistance to female victims in cases of violence.

 The law enforcer’s lack of gender sensitivity has also worsened the situation, she adds.

Indonesia Police Watch coordinator Neta S. Pane has acknowledged the police’s “wrong approach” in handling these cases.

“In domestic violence cases, for instance, instead of processing the report, they tend to seek reconciliation between the victims and perpetrators,” Neta said.

Things can get worse, he adds, as victims are prone to be victimized again during interrogation sessions as law enforcers also place the blame on the woman, accusing them of instigating the crime.

This kind of approach has made perpetrators of rape and sexual violence take their crimes lightly as they may go unharmed in the legal process.

But these culprits may have to beware of the existence of a group of women who aren’t afraid of turning violent to fight for their safety.

These female forces are a reminder of the men’s saying that a women’s place is in the kitchen. Just remember, that’s where the knives are kept.

Martial arts for women
Women’s Self-Defense Kusyin Ryu every Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
at Blok M Mall, South Jakarta