TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
‘Rape culture myths’ debunked
“What were you wearing when you were assaulted?”Many sexual harassment victims are asked this kind of question when people learn about their experience of being assaulted in public
Change Size
“What were you wearing when you were assaulted?”
Many sexual harassment victims are asked this kind of question when people learn about their experience of being assaulted in public.
If the victims’ wardrobe is considered revealing, or if the assault occurred in the evening, the blame will often be put on the victims, who are considered to have been “asking for it”, putting themselves at risk of being harassed.
Such assumptions were recently debunked by a nationwide survey conducted by four women’s rights organizations, namely Hollaback Jakarta, perEMPUan, Lentera Sintas Indonesia and Jakarta Feminist Discussion Group, and shared through change.org.
More than 62,000 respondents participated in the survey, and most said they had been wearing normal clothes when they were sexually assaulted in public.
Eighteen percent of them said they had been wearing a skirt or pants, 17 percent were wearing a hijab, 16 percent were wearing a long-sleeve shirt and 14 percent were wearing loose clothes or uniforms.
The survey also revealed that, while many believe sexual harassment in public happens in the evening, most victims (35 percent) experienced it in daytime, followed by the afternoon (25 percent), the evening (21 percent) and the morning (17 percent).
“These numbers debunk all these rape culture myths and show us that it doesn’t matter what women wear or what time it is in public places, because if they are women and they are in public places, they are already prone to sexual harassment […] We hope the people and policy makers see this and it will open their mind on how serious this problem is. This problem really exists every day, and it is horrifying,” National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) chairwoman Mariana Amiruddin said Wednesday.
She said rape culture myths had been implanted in the nation’s patriarchal environment because people had been taught from an early age that it was the women who had to behave to avoid harassment.
“We never really have the room to debate these beliefs, but this survey has done its job to verify that the myths are wrong. Therefore, we have to spread it and open society’s mind about it,” she added.
In the survey, three of five female respondents said they had experienced sexual harassment in public. Only one of 10 male respondents has experienced it.
Rastra Yasland of Lentera Sintas said the survey proved that the victims’ clothes, the time of day or the place were not the reasons behind sexual harassment.
“It is never the victim’s fault. It doesn’t matter what they wear, nor the place or time. The perpetrators [of sexual harassment] are the ones to be blamed,” Rastra said.
Actress Hannah Al Rashid, who is known for feminist activism, said she hoped the survey would urge decision-makers to deliberate the sexual violence bill.
“We have to push them. Most of them have their own cars and other privileges that protect them from the risks of being in public places. They seldom use public facilities [...]. We are the ones who use those streets and public transportation every day,” she said.
The survey revealed that the three most common places for sexual harassment in public are streets (33 percent), public transportation and bus stops (19 percent) and schools and campuses (15 percent).
Hannah shared her own story of being grabbed by two men on a motorcycle that passed her while she was walking. She said people should not underestimate the trauma harassment caused to victims.
“Harassment disrespects us as human beings […] and we have to [live with] this trauma for the rest of our lives. I can talk now at this place loudly about fighting sexual harassment in public, but for me the scars are still there. Until now, every time I feel motorcycles approach me, I immediately cover my body. The trauma is still in my subconsciousness,” she said.
Mariana of Komnas Perempuan said many people underestimated and could not really understand sexual harassment in public, because they see it as a normal thing. The sexual violence bill was important, since people still used the Criminal Code to deal with sexual harassment cases.
