Victims and activists across the country commemorated Human Rights Day, which falls on Dec. 10 annually, on Wednesday in diverse ways, urging the government to seriously handle rights violations.
In Semarang, Central Java, activists organized a testimony forum presenting victims of violations of human rights.
Coordinator of the activity, Kastoni, said that 632 women in Central Java had been victims of violence during 2014, 14 of whom did not survive.
“Central Java has been ranked as the province with the third-highest number of cases of violence against women,” said Kastoni, quoting a report from the Anti-Violence against Women National Commission.
Kastoni said that of the 14 victims, three died because of domestic violence, seven because of state violence, two died from rapes, one died as a migrant worker and another died in relation to prostitution.
Maemunah, one of the victims who gave testimony on the violence she experienced, said her husband had never approved of her using contraception so she finally had five children. Yet, her husband never financially supported the family.
When she finally filed for divorce at the religious court, the court ruled in favor of her husband. “The judges apparently ignored all the witnesses I presented, including my neighbors and own children,” Maemunah told the forum.
Other testimonies were revealed by Eko Sutikno, 74, a victim of the Sept. 30, 1965 tragedy, who had been imprisoned for years in different prisons across the country without trial.
The activists and victims demanded the state be more serious in dealing with past human rights violations by involving the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), the Attorney General’s Office, the President and House of Representatives to come up with a national reconciliation program, especially for the Sept. 30, 1965 tragedy.
In Bandung, West Java, Human Rights Day was marked with the screening of Joshua Oppenheimer’s Senyap (The Lock of Silence) and a body exploration performance performed by five youths. They reminded people of many unsolved cases of violations of human rights.
In Makassar, South Sulawesi, university students, lawyers and law activists celebrated Human Rights Day by staging sporadic rallies in a number of spots, as well as theatrical performances.
They demanded President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo be serious in guaranteeing security to the people and act firmly against security and government officials to make sure that no violations against human rights were committed.
The Legal Aid Institute (LBH) in Makassar noted 11 cases of violence in the province during 2014, seven of which were shootings of people, including student protesters. The four others were persecution of people, including journalists.
Penulis: Suherdjoko dan Arya Dipa
Kontributor: Andi Hajramurni
Sumber berita: thejakartapost.com