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Popular YouTuber first to fall as Indonesia's #MeToo moment finally arrives
Last year, the country saw many online “calling out” of alleged rapists and sexual harrasers by their victims. While each case differs in its details of abuse and how it eventually played out, it made clear that gender-based discrimination and abuse was a symptomatic issue that many were waiting to speak out against.
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he growing number of Indonesian women speaking up against sexual abuse and general misogyny makes it clear that Indonesia is going through a strong transformation in its relation towards gender issues and conversations surrounding it.
Last year, the country saw many online “calling out” of alleged rapists and sexual harrasers by their victims. While each case differs in its details of abuse and how it eventually played out, it made clear that gender-based discrimination and abuse was a symptomatic issue that many were waiting to speak out against.
Recent campaigns against childhood marriage (and depictions of it on TV shows) saw to educate a public used to ideas many consider archaic and patriarchy-driven.
A good number of sexual allegations, particularly those by positions of power – in terms of age, gender, and power – have fizzled out and kept perpetrators free from responsiblity, let alone charges. An example is one directed against notable poet Sitok Srengenge has, who was accused of raping and impregnanting an underage girl in 2013.
The most recent case is arguably the country's most high-profile case so far – involving Gofar Hilman, a popular YouTuber and co-founder of Multiplatform lifestyle business Lawless Jakarta. he is alleged to have groped a woman at a 2018 karaoke party and a number of others have shared their stories online involving similar experiences with him. Online, Gofar has denied all charges and stated that he has witnesses to prove his innocence.
Lawless Jakarta has kicked out Gofar after the allegations went viral on social media on Tuesday.
“We acknowledge and are updating the issue concerning Gofar Hilman. We, from Lawless Jakarta, stand with the victim. Today we announce that Gofar Hilman is no longer a part of Lawless Jakarta,” a statement posted by Lawless through their official social media pages stated in Indonesian on Wednesday, June 9, 2021.
Lawless cofounder and singer in metal band Seringai, Arian Arifin, more famously known as Arian 13, tweeted on the same day a statement in which he said he "stand[s] with the victim".
Gofar, who made his name as a radio station DJ, is also an internet personality and popular YouTube host.
A Twitter post by a woman using the username @quweenjojo alleged that Gofar groped her during a party at which he was a celebrity guest. The poster claimed that the incident happened in 2018 in Malang, East Java. The poster claimed that a cheering crowd of men saw the incident, and that another person took her aside to keep her safe from Gofar and his group.
Gofar has denied the allegations and threatened to escalate the case to legal authorities for defamation.
“I did not do what they accused me of doing. I had two people with me that night, one female local organizer and my male assistant. They keep a close eye on me until I left the event in a car,” Gofar said in a statement posted on social media on June 9.
Another Twitter user using the handle @kittygalisback stated that she was bringing together a group of fellow victims and has received advocacy from the Legal Aid Institute (LBH).
Even beyond activists and feminists, a growing number of the general public have shown an increasing disdain for a culture still entraped in victim-blaming and female-shaming, with an overwhelming number of people defending @quweenjojo against those attacking her for not going forward earlier and for partaking in a rowdy party where alcohol was served.
Kartika Jahja, singer and longtime friend of Gofar, also spoke up on her Instagram account that she had heard many allegations against Gofar before but the victims had decided to stay silent because of Gofar’s popularity and his ties to powerful allies.
Gofar is known for talking openly about his promiscuous sex life in his public appearances and interviews, including on his own YouTube channel and tweets. He has openly said that he has had sex with hundreds of women and "reviewed" some the girls’ performance in bed.
With more than 1 million subscribers on YouTube and 700,000 followers on Twitter, Gofar is one of the most recognizable influencers in Indonesia today, but his detractors have called out his hard-partying persona as being misogynistic and objectifying women.
