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TRUK-F: A safe shelter for women
Sister Eustochia Monika NataIt is the most feared name on the island of Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, by law enforcers and the recipient of as much love by residents
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Sister Eustochia Monika Nata
It is the most feared name on the island of Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, by law enforcers and the recipient of as much love by residents.
The Team of Volunteers for Humanity in Flores (TRUK-F) is an independent organization that consists of religious leaders and youth groups of different religions.
Led by Sister Eustochia Monika Nata of the Maumere diocese, the organization has been on the frontline in the fight against human rights abuses, violence against women and children as well as people trafficking since 1999.
'We are committed to what we do even though it means working without pay,' said Maria Hendrika Hungan from the organization's Women's Division, adding that TRUK-F has received financial support from the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) for the past eight years.
Henny, as she is called, was in Jakarta recently to accompany two rape survivors attending the premiere of their documentary Masih Ada Asa (Memory & Hope).
Since 2000 until late last year, TRUK-F has handled over 2,000 cases, an average of 120 cases per year.
'The number of violence cases in Sikka is way higher than reported to us. Many of them are incest or child-rape cases,' said Henny.
TRUK-F is based in Maumere, the capital city of Sikka regency.
Henny said that traditional customs in Sikka have contributed to the dire situation: As men are required to pay expensive dowries, they tend to treat their wives as property.
Parents also use violence in raising their kids and apply one-way communication.
'Over half of the cases we work on take place in the private domain,' said Henny.
'Violence is violence and it is a crime. Each case that is brought to us is bound to court. An amicable solution is not a solution.'
The stance has often put TRUK-F in a head-to-head situation with the police, prosecutors and judges.
'At first a victim, who might be just a child, has to go through questioning alone at the police station and even while in court. But the situation has slowly changed now,' she said.
The embryo of the organization was a group of housewives learning household skills in 1997. The women later shared the abusive treatment they received from their husbands with the sisters.
This led Sister Eustochia to form an organization to provide advocacy and education to the women.
Their first politically tinged case was in 1999, when they handled the case of East Timor refugees who were forced into prostitution by their husbands.
Henny, an economics graduate from a university in Semarang, Central Java, was teaching at a vocational school in Maumere when Sister Eustochia asked her to join TRUK-F.
'My first case was one of incest between a man with his 14-year-old daughter. I decided later on to leave my daily job and become fully active in TRUK-F, although my parents were against it. But I believe this is the reason I'm here for,' said Henny.
While the commitment of the volunteers is the engine for the organization, the power lies in public support. The survivors and their family usually return as volunteers, offering help and consultations before contacting TRUK-F.
'We are this strong because we have the people behind us.'
