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Women’s rights defenders tread noble but precarious path
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Women’s rights activists from multiple organizations hold a long march in Thamrin, Jakarta, on March 8. (JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)
D
espite working courageously to defend their rights and those of others, female human rights activists still receive little protection and scant recognition for their work.
A recent report published by a coalition of women rights defenders found that female activists were prone to violence, both verbal and physical, threats and online intimidation, such as doxing.
“Various reports have shown that women's human rights defenders are prone to violence both on individual and organizational levels,” Damaris of the Ume Daya Nusantara Foundation, a member of the coalition, said on Friday during an event marking the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence.
In addition to receiving threats of violence, Damaris said, female activists often faced criminalization, intimidation and stigma, particularly because Indonesian laws did not specifically recognize their roles as rights defenders.
"They were labeled marriage destroyers or indecent women or bad mothers for always coming home late because of their work. Some of them were visited and threatened by unidentified people," she said. "They received death threats, rape threats and even experienced sexual abuse."
Read also: Rights advocates need more protection after raid at LBH APIK: Activists
The abuse and intimidation, Damaris said, was not solely directed at women who fought for women's rights but also at those who advocated for other humanitarian causes.
