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International Women's Day: Yogyakarta's march highlights sexual violence at universities
In celebration of International Women’s Day (IWD) 2020, some 200 people paraded in Yogyakarta to protest against sexual violence against women in general – and at universities in their own city in particular.
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People march to mark International Women's Day 2020 in Yogyakarta on Sunday, March 8, 2020. (JP/Bambang Muryanto)
In celebration of International Women’s Day (IWD) 2020, some 200 people paraded in Yogyakarta to protest against sexual violence against women in general – and at universities in their own city in particular.
“We need to keep our eyes on the issue and insist [that the authorities] eradicate sexual violence at education institutions, especially by creating a policy on handling sexual violence cases that is in favor for survivors,” Felice Dorothy Arus of IWD's local committee told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.
The parade began at the Abu Bakar Ali parking lot and proceeded to Jl. Malioboro to end at the Zero Kilometer landmark.
The protestors carried signs to raise awareness on sexual violence with messages such as, “get rid of sex offender lecturers”, “how come pervert lecturers are groomed by the campus,” and “sexual violence on campus is more dangerous than the coronavirus".
Police officers checked the signs, saying this was necessary to avoid posters with messages "against nationalism".
In her speech, Fatonah, who studies at an Islamic university in Yogyakarta, said at least eight cases had happened on her campus but the suspected perpetrator, a lecturer, was still teaching.
“If the campus fails to make us feel safe, how can we actually get a proper education?” she said at the Zero Kilometer Point.
Her fellow student Wulan claimed a male lecturer and a senior-level male student often requested that female students have sex with them.
“Let’s fight the perverted lecturers and senior-level students,” she said.
Meanwhile, Melia Nurul Fajriah of Legal Aid Yogyakarta (LBH Yogyakarta) strongly encouraged students to fight against violence.
On campuses of higher education institutions, victims of sexual violence were often given pressure to remain silent, instead of support, she said in her speech.
“The sexual predators are lecturers, and many times they are not reported to police,” said Melia.
Last week, a lecturer at Yogyakarta Muhammadiyah University (UMY) was reported to the university's authorities for sex offenses against female students.
UMY rector Gunawan Budiyanto, however, dismissed the case in a quick fix, saying the lecturer had only violated the university's code of ethics against violence.
“The problematic lecturer was dismissed from his position on March 3,” Gunawan said in a press release on Friday.
Besides fighting against sexual violence at educational institutions, the 2020 IWD movement also demands that lawmakers pass the sexual violence bill, that support is given to oppressed women in Papua and that an omnibus bill on job creation is scrapped, among other issues. (gis)
