Astrid Nikijuluw, Serpong, Banten, Indonesia SSH Blog Correspondent

(English version below)

Bulan Juni di Indonesia (dan Negara-negara lainnya) umat Muslim merayakan bulan Suci Ramdhan.  Pada bulan ini mereka berpuasa selama satu bulan penuh sampai datangnya hari kemenangan yaitu Idul Fitri.  Bulan Ramadhan  disebut sebagai bulan penuh berkah sehingga banyak digunakan untuk meningkatkan amal dan ibadah.  Namun sayangnya beberapa prilaku buruk tetap tidak berubah.

Minggu lalu ketika saya sedang berjalan menuju rumah dari salah satu mini market, ada sebuah kejadian yang sangat mengganggu.  Kebetulan di depan saya berjalan dua anak remaja perempuan mengenakan jilbab/hijab.  Ketika melewati kerumunan (sekitar 4-5 orang) laki-laki, tiba-tiba perlakuan yang meresahkan itu muncul lagi.  Salah satu dari mereka bersiul nakal pada kedua remaja perempuan tersebut.  Dan temannya menyapa dengan nada menggoda “Assalamualaikum mbak, lagi puasa ya? Nanti buka bareng yuk..”  Sementara yang lainnya ikut tertawa-tawa.  Saya sungguh kesal sekali melihat tingkah itu.  Buat saya kelakuan mereka sangat melecehkan dan tidak menghargai para remaja wanita itu.  Salah satu dari remaja itu menoleh dan dari bahasa tubuhnya hendak melabrak/memarahi para lelaki kurang ajar tersebut, namun temannya menarik tangannya untuk segera berjalan menjauhi para lelaki itu.  Dan kembali mereka tertawa seraya salah satu berkata “Lagi puasa nggak boleh marah-marah lho mbak, nanti pahalanya berkurang.”  Apa?!  Bagaimana mereka bisa berbicara mengenai pahala di bulan puasa tetapi kelakuan mereka sendiri sama sekali tidak mencerminkan spirit dari berpuasa dan beribadah di bulan Ramadhan.  Saya sendiri tidak sampai berjalan melewati mereka karena arah rumah saya berbelok di jalan pas sebelum mereka berkumpul.  Walaupun di dalam hati kecil saya ingin juga lewat dan seandainya mereka melakukan hal yang sama, well you’re messing with the wrong girl! Namun saya ingat kalau saya sedang berjalan dengan keponakan laki-laki saya, sehingga saya lebih berpikir untuk memberikan contoh dari kejadian yang dia juga baru saksikan.

Sampai dirumah saya masih tidak habis pikir. Apa sebenarnya yang ada di benak para lelaki tersebut sehingga berbuat sampai sebegitu jauhnya.  Bagaimana bila hal yang sama terjadi pada saudara perempuan mereka, pacar mereka atau bahkan ibu mereka. Apakah mereka akan bersikap santai saja? Saya jadi berpikir mungkin mereka kurang diajarkan untuk menghargai wanita sepenuhnya. Akhirnya saya pun mengalihkan rasa amarah dan kesal saya kepada keponakan saya dengan cara berdiskusi mengenai kejadian tersebut. Intinya saya menjelaskan bahwa prilaku seperti ini sangat tidak terpuji dan menimbulkan efek psikologis yang tidak baik terhadap korban. Dan yang paling penting adalah hal itu mencerminkan rendahnya penghargaan terhadap wanita.  Mungkin mereka bisa berdalih “Ah itu kan hanya bercanda, tidak serius, nggak usah lebay deh.” Well, ini Serius! Kalau hal seperti ini saja dianggap remeh maka tidak heran kasus-kasus yang lebih complex mengenai sexual harassment akan semakin meningkat. Menurut data dari Komnas Perempuan, terjadi 259.150 kasus pelecehan seksual yang ditangani selama tahun 2016 dan tersebar di 34 propinsi di Indonesia. Itu yang dilaporkan, dan saya yakin masih banyak sekali yang belum dilaporkan.

Kembali ke soal tadi, saya juga mencoba menyoroti dari sisi si korban. Dari kedua orang tersebut terdapat dua reaksi yang berbeda. Yang satu stand-up dan melawan, sedangkan yang lainnya lebih memilih untuk mendiamkan. Yang akhirnya si pelawan mengikuti temannya karena sedang menjalankan ibadah puasa, sehingga harus menahan nafsu amarah. Buat saya to stand up against that behavior adalah sangat penting terlepas dari agama apapun dan ritual ibadah yang sedang dijalankan. Bukan berarti dengan melawan kita tidak menjalankan ibadah dengan baik, namun kita menunjukkan bahwa prilaku tersebut salah dan tidak bisa dibiarkan. Bukankah kalau kita membiarkan sama saja secara tidak langsung kita ‘mendukung’ prilaku tersebut berlangsung terus-menerus? Dalam hal ini saya juga tidak menganjurkan dengan cara kekasaran, namun setidaknya mereka mengerti kalau kita tidak suka diperlakukan seperti itu! Itu adalah kelakuan yang tidak menyenangkan bahkan cenderung menjijikan.  Langkah yang diambil dari dua remaja tersebut menurut saya mencerminkan sikap sebagian besar korban street harassment.  Ada yang sudah mau melawan namun ada juga yang masih bersifat ‘membiarkan’ dengan permakluman.  Seperti tulisan saya bulan lalu, susahnya dari street harassment ini masih banyak yang kurang/tidak sadar.  Sekali lagi, menjadi bagian prilaku ‘sehari-hari yang dimaklumi’.  Padahal bisa kita liat akibatnya, bahkan di bulan suci Ramadhan, bulan baik dimana seharusnya dipergunakan untuk memperbanyak ibadah, prilaku ini pun masih terjadi dengan pelaku yang tidak merasa ‘bersalah’ dalam melakukannya.  Sungguh merupakan kenyataan yang membuat frustasi.

Saya berharap semakin banyak orang yang sadar akan street harassment adalah tindakan yang tidak pantas dilakukan dan selanjutnya bersikap untuk melawan tindakan tersebut.  Selain itu sebagai orang tua, kita juga perlu memberikan pengertian kepada anak-anak kita sejak dini baik anak perempuan agar tidak menjadi korban sia-sia maupun anak laki-laki agar kelak tidak menjadi pelaku dari street harassment tersebut.

Astrid received her Bachelors of Business at Queensland University of Technology Brisbane Australia. She finished her Master’s Degree at Gadjah Mada University Yogyakarta where she majored in Human Resource Development. Follow her on Twitter at @AstridNiki or on Facebook.

This June, in Indonesia (and other countries, too) the Moslem people are celebrating the Holy Ramadhan. During this period, they are fasting for 30 days until the celebration of Eid Al-Fitr. It is to be said that the Ramadhan month is full of mercy and blessings and therefore many Moslems are enhancing their worship and charity. Unfortunately, some bad behaviors still have not changed at all.

Last week, I was walking toward my home from a mini-market, when I saw a very disturbing incident. In front of me were two teenage girls, wearing hijab. When they walked through a crowd of men (about 4-5 men), one of them whistled at them, while the other said to them in an improper way, “Assalamualaikum, you both are fasting aren’t you? Let’s go break fasting together later.”

The others were laughing and continued to whistle. I was so pissed and angry seeing that scene in front of me. For me, their behavior was so disrespectful to the teenagers. One of the teenagers turned her head to those guys and from her body language, it seemed that she was going to say something to them. However, her friend, who was also the victim, pulled her hand and made her keep walking. And those guys ungratefully laughed again and one of them said, “You are not allowed to be pissed during fasting, otherwise you would lessen the reward of your fasting.”

WHAT?! How come they talked about rewards during the fasting month but their attitude was not reflecting the spirit of Ramadhan at all? I myself did not walk past them because I had to turn left to my street home, just around the corner of their position. Deep down inside my heart I was just wondering what if I walked passed them and they did the same thing to me? Well, they would be messing with the wrong girl, for sure. I was walking with my nephew though, so instead of getting angry, I decided to talk to him about the scene that he also witnessed.

As I arrived home, I still could not stop thinking about those guys. What were they thinking of behaving like that? How about if this kind of thing happened to their sister, or girlfriend, or mother? Would they sit back and relax? Therefore, I think maybe they were not taught enough about how to treat women respectfully.

Then I entered a discussion with my nephew about it. The point is, I explained to him, that this attitude was not commendable and can cause a psychological effect on the victim. And the most important thing is that it represents low-respect toward women.

Perhaps men quibble by saying something like, “Ah come on, it’s only a joke, nothing serious, don’t overreact.”

Well it is SERIOUS! If this kind of behavior were considered ‘nothing serious’ then no wonder the more complex cases of sexual harassment is increasing. Based on the data from KOMNAS PEREMPUAN (National Commission On Violence Against Women), in 2016 there were 259,150 cases of sexual harassment spread across 34 provinces in Indonesia. They were only reported cases and I am pretty sure that there were still many cases that had not been reported.

Back to the story, I was trying to highlight from the victim’s side.  From the two of them, I saw two different reactions. One who stood up against it and the other who kept silent and let it go. The one who would stand up finally gave up and followed the silent one. I was sure that the main reason is because they were fasting and holding anger is one of the most important things. However for me, to stand up against that behavior is necessary no matter what religion or ritual that you currently are doing. It does not mean that by resisting it we do not perform our religion ritual well, instead we are showing them that their behavior is wrong and cannot be accepted. If we do nothing continuously, we indirectly ‘support’ this attitude. I do not suggest using violence or cruelty, but at least let them know that we do not like to be treated that way and that it’s inappropriate and disgusting behavior!

The way the teenagers reacted in this case reflected the reaction from most of the victims of street harassment. There are some who are ready to stand up against it and there are also some who are still silent and tend to ‘let go’ with the thought of it being ‘understandable behavior’ (last month my article highlighted that many people still do not aware of the street harassment behavior). T

Even during the Holy month of Ramadhan, the good month where we are supposed to enhance our prayer, worship and charity, this attitude still ensues and the perpetrators do not at all feel guilty of doing it. It’s a frustrating fact.

I hope many more people are aware that street harassment is inappropriate behavior and in further can stand up against it.  And also as parents, we must teach our children from a young age, for daughter as though they will not be a vain victim and for sons so they will not be the perpetrators of the street harassment.

Yasmin Curzi, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, SSH Blog Correspondent

In 2006, the Legislative Assembly of the State of Rio de Janeiro approved a law which enacted segregated areas on public transport for women, commonly known as “pink carriages.”. According to the memorandum of the law, the measure would serve as a remedy in order to avoid severe sexual harassment cases during rush hours on the city’s metro. It enunciates that this measure serves as an immediate remedy, “because the scenario of recurrent gender violence in public transportation is a problem difficult to overthrow.” Also it has few costs for the State or the concession-holder, so the implementation can be faster than other possible measures.

In effect, women who suffered from abuses would feel welcoming in this “special” spaces – a symptom of the institutional mistreatment directed to them. There are some narratives that corroborates with this approach, but the discussion about the real effectiveness of the law is far to be settled. In this article I’ll try to point some of the controversial topics concerning this public policy.

1. Enforcement: Supervision of women-only carriage is made by the metro guards, only on a few platforms – usually the ones located in richer neighborhoods. The result is that men often disobey the law, specially when the subway is crowded. Also, most of the guards are men and frequently present misogynistic behaviors toward women who suffered abuse in the subways. In most of the cases, they are insensitive about women’s issues and unprepared to deal with these occurrences. Often it results in a double-violation: women are slut-shammed, offended or neglected when try to make a complaint. And the guards themselves also harasses women, usually by leering or starin

2. The law’s definition of “rush hours”: “Rush hour” is settled by the law as being “workdays 6h a.m. to 9h a.m. and 5h p.m. to 8h p.m.”, but the use of the subways increased severely in the last decade. Therefore, “rush hours” are dynamics nowadays. A college student reported to me that she suffered harassment and abuse on a Saturday afternoon. The subway was crowded and a white blond guy started to stare at her breasts, stopped in front of her and masturbated himself. Then, she ran scared and chose not to make a complain. Stories of women that decided not to report harassment and other violations are recurrent, because, not only are institutions often hostiles toward those victims, but also society normalizes these behaviors.

3. LGBT concerns: One problem of the law is that it essentializes women as an homogenous group, excluding lesbian, bissexual and transexual women. For these groups, the space doesn’t bring the same feeling of welcomeness that it does toward cisgender and heterossexual women. A lesbian woman reported to me that, when she is in the companion of another girl, before going to college at 7h a.m. (considered as a rush hour by this law), the staring of other women made her feel like she is a “circus attraction”. The women’s car is, therefore, designed for one specific group of women, nurturing the normalization of conducts in a heteronormative society.

4. It is a merely makeshift: The law memorandum itself affirms that this measure is a quick response to reduce violence towards women. However, it’s possible to assume that public power chose the easiest path. By segregating spaces by gender, the State gets rid of its duty to address the real causes of sexism with more profound and long-term measures, such as education campaigns, in order to change the perception of women’s body as a public property.

5. It corroborates victim-blaming: Another issue of the law is that it implies a perception that if a woman isn’t in the women’s car in a “rush hour”, she is responsible for the harassment suffered. Victim-blaming is recurrent in other abuses/harassment situations and usually materializes in thoughts like “what was the victim’s wearing” and “what was she doing in the street late of the night”. Segregated spaces also spreads the idea that if a woman wasn’t in the women’s car, then she “wasn’t taking the necessary precautions in order to avoid risk situations”.

The discussion about this law is in dispute even inside the feminist’s movement. There isn’t a consensus about its real effectiveness and what other measures the State could implement in order to deal immediately with sexist violence in the public transportation. However, it’s pacified that short-term measures aren’t able to solve these issues in a profound way, thus, State should also institute awareness campaigns and public policies that treat sexism in its structural roots and not only by focusing in its surface results.

Yasmin is a Research Assistant at the Center for Research on Law and Economics at FGV-Rio. She has a BA in Social Sciences from FGV-Rio and a Master Degree in Social Sciences from PUC-Rio, where she wrote her thesis on street harassment and feminists’ struggles for recognition.

Astrid Nikijuluw, Serpong, Banten, Indonesia SSH Blog Correspondent

(English version below)

Catcalling di negara saya merupakan hal yang ‘biasa’ terjadi sehari-hari.  Saking biasanya sampai terkadang menjadi hal yang ‘dimaklumi’.  Terlepas dari apa yang dirasakan para korban yang kebanyakan adalah wanita.   Dulu saya suka berpikir bahwa hal itu terjadi karena hal-hal yang disebabkan oleh kita sendiri seperti misalnya cara berpakaian.  Namun ternyata tidak peduli gaya berpakaian kita, catcalling tetap saja berlaku.

Buat saya pribadi, perlakuan seperti catcalling atau street harassment adalah perlakuan yang sangat mengintimidasi.  Dari merasa terintimidasi akan berkembang menjadi rasa takut.  Padahal semua orang berhak untuk merasa aman apabila berjalan di jalan-jalan umum dan juga tempat-tempat umum lainnya.  Sayangnya hal ini belum terjadi.  Masih banyak para wanita yang merasa risih atau takut apabila harus berjalan melewati kerumunan para lelaki.  Yang akhirnya membuat mereka mengurungkan niatnya ataupun mengambil jalan lain yang lebih jauh namun dianggap lebih aman.

Ada cerita tentang seorang anak perempuan yang selalu diminta oleh ibunya ke pasar untuk membelikan keperluan kakak perempuannya.  Sang ibu merasa tidak aman kalau sang kakak ke pasar sendirian karena banyaknya perlakuan yang tidak menyenangkan dari para lelaki di seputar pasar tersebut.  Anak perempuan ini memang memiliki postur seperti lelaki dengan rambutnya yang dipotong pendek dan gaya berpakaian ala lelaki dengan kaos longgar dan celana pendek atau celana panjang jeans.  Sedangkan kakaknya adalah sosok feminine dengan rambut panjang dan wajah manis yang bisa sangat mungkin untuk di goda.  Setelah dewasa dia pun mengakui bahwa alasan dia bergaya seperti lelaki itu adalah untuk menghindari perlakuan street harassment. Sedangkan sang kakak justru merasa bahwa dia tidak perlu harus ‘dilindungi’, dia bisa melakukannya sendiri.  Rasanya seperti sesuatu yang bagus bukan?  Tetapi sayangnya tidak.  Sang kakak merasa begitu karena menurut dia hal seperti street harassment adalah hal umum atau wajar terjadi apabila pergi ke tempat-tempat umum seperti pasar tradisional. Sehingga timbul pemikiran “cuekin aja”.   Padahal mereka berdua sama-sama tidak setuju dan menentang perlakuan tersebut.

Berdasarkan cerita diatas, saya merasa bahwa mereka berdua sama-sama mengalami psychological effect dari perlakuan street harassment tersebut.  Hanya dengan reaksi yang berbeda.  Apapun itu, adalah satu hal yang jelas bahwa perlakuan seperti ini tidak dapat diterima.  Efek yang ditimbulkan kepada para korban mungkin tidak terlalu ketara dan hal inilah yang membuat catcalling masih merajalela dari sejak jaman dahulu sampai generasi milenial saat ini.  Apakah untuk menghindari perlakuan ini kita harus bergaya seperti lelaki?  Mensugesti diri bahwa ini biasa sehingga “cuekin aja”? Atau mengambil jalan lain yang lebih aman walaupun jauh?

Sayangnya hal seperti street harassment ini masih kurang mendapat perhatian masyarakat.  Isunya belum seramai dibicarakan seperti LGBT, KDRT (Kekerasan Dalam Rumah Tangga) dan kasus sexual harassment lainnya.  Padahal hal ini lebih sering terjadi dan bisa dibilang kejadian sehari-hari.  Saya ingat ada satu ungkapan yang berbunyi kira-kira seperti ini “dosa apabila sudah sering dilakukan akan terasa bukan lagi dosa”.  Saya rasa ungkapan ini sangat tepat menggambarkan perlakuan street harassment.  Terlalu sering dilakukan sehingga seolah-olah sudah diterima menjadi bagian dari kejadian sehari-hari.  Padahal tidak.  Perlakuan ini sangat mengganggu dan menimbulkan efek psikologis bagi korban.  Pertanyaannya adalah sampai kapan kita akan membiarkan hal ini berlangsung? Pemikiran sederhana yang masih sulit untuk dijawab saat ini.

Astrid received her Bachelors of Business at Queensland University of Technology Brisbane Australia. She finished her Master’s Degree at Gadjah Mada University Yogyakarta where she majored in Human Resource Development. Follow her on Twitter at @AstridNiki or on Facebook.

In my country, catcalling is considered a ‘usual’ daily thing, so usual, in fact, that it is seen as ‘ok’ to do even though the victims, usually women, do not like it.  I used to think that this thing happened because of the way we dressed. But in fact, no matter how you try to dress yourself, catcalling can still happen to you.

To me, catcalling, or street harassment, is intimidating and that intimidation can even turn into fear.  Even though every single individual should have the right to feel safe while walking on the street and public places, unfortunately this kind of thing has not yet happened. Many women still feel uncomfortable or scared if they have to walk past some crowd of men. This fear may cause them to not walk past them or prompt them to take another way which is further, but is considered safer for them.

There is a story about a young girl who was always asked by her mother to go to the traditional market and to accompany her sister. The mother felt it was too unsafe for the sister to go to the market by herself because of the inappropriate behavior from some men who hang-out in the market. This young girl had a very masculine appearance, such as having short hair and wearing loose t-shirts and jeans, but her sister presented in a feminine way, like with long straight hair. Later when this young girl had become an adult, she admitted that the reason she dressed like a boy was to avoid street harassment, while her sister felt that she did not need any ‘protection’, and she could do it on her own. In her opinion, street harassment is a common thing that happens, especially in public places such as traditional markets. This leads to a thought of “I don’t give a damn”, while in fact both of them are disagree and against this kind of behavior.

Based on the story above, I feel that both of them are having a psychological response to street harassment, just different ones. Whatever it is, it is still very clear that these kinds of actions are not acceptable. In order to avoid such disturbing behavior, do we have to change our style like a man? Or just accept it and say, “I don’t give a damn? Or go out of our way to take safer though further routes?

Unfortunately, there is a lack of attention in our society to street harassment. The issue does not receive as much attention as LGBT rights, domestic violence, and other types of sexual harassment even though it often happens in our everyday life. I remember a phrase that says, “a sin if constantly repeated is not considered as a sin anymore”.  I think this phrase fits the street harassment behavior. Too often it is repeated as if it is ‘accepted’ as a ‘usual’ everyday behavior. Frankly no! This behavior can have a negative psychological effect on the victim.  The question is, for how long will we allow this street harassment to occur? This is a simple thought yet currently it still is difficult to answer.

Pritha Khanal, Kathmandu, Nepal, SSH Blog Correspondent

There is a common practice of writing slogans or pieces of poems on the back of trucks in Nepal, often called “truck literature”, and it has been making us laugh long before online “memes” became popular. Most of the literature hilariously imitates the native tongues and is filled with sarcasm, while some lines succeed in touching your heart in case you are going through some emotional turmoil.

On the other hand, some lines provoke rage and make you wonder why it is acceptable to write these words which have a clear motivation of mocking women and girls. Are the inappropriate comments the drivers pass not enough — they also have to write these things in huge letters on the back of the tanker? What is it that they want to prove and what message is that they want to convey?

As I was travelling with my family last weekend, I came across this water tanker with these words written with the usual purpose of making everyone laugh (“Darling, Why not smiling?”). I don’t know which part of the line was supposed to be humorous but my instant response was: What the hell is funny in these lines? Why should any “Soltini” (a kinship term where sister of a bride is Soltini to the brother of a groom) smile just because it reads so on the truck?

Things like these which are so common and ignored sometimes really depict what is inherently wrong in the society. In the name of humor and healthy flirting, there are often wrong messages spreading in society. In fact, some Nepalese culture actually cherishes the healthy flirting among their kins and community just like Solti-Soltini, which is good because it keeps the charm in the family alive and it happens with the consent of two adults along with their family. But when the behaviour is done to other girls with the motive of mocking them and making them uncomfortable, it becomes a form of harassment. Just like these lines sound very casual, it is one of the worst comments a girl has to face in the street. It feels creepy and makes us insecure when we hear the words in the street, in the market by a passerby or the groups of guys hanging around the teashops. What makes people think that writing such lines in the public vehicle is appropriate or creative?

Street harassment is part of the chronic form of violence against women. When a boy finds it comfortable and “cool” to tease a girl in the street, he may feel it is okay to grope her or inappropriately touch her in the street.

So how is this “truck literature” related here? It’s because they are written by the ones who are used to passing such comments in the street. They are written by the same drivers/ assistant drivers who laugh with each other when a girl they intentionally harassed frowns her brows but is helpless to react anyway. The same individuals who believe a girl wearing tight shirt is asking for an eagle’s eyes in her cleavage and those wearing short pants are calling for harassment. These lines are the work of harassers and for the harassers.  They are funny to those who find i’ts okay to tease in the cheesiest tone and expect that the girl finds it funny too. Some would laugh hard at the lines and replicate the same to other girls while some would just casually shrug it off. But, rarely one would realize that it may be words of encouragement for fellow harassers and one more girl in the street would be hearing the words.

So what are the measures? Not everyone can stop the vehicles in the heavy flow of traffic and rant against the lines to the driver. But one can discourage such acts. Let us condemn such lines. Let us not promote messages which give the impression of harassment but rather encourage drivers to use such widely visible and effective space for delivering better messages.

Pritha is doing her Master’s degree in Anthropology and her thesis is on the menstruation practice issues among rural teenagers in Nepal. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work. She works in a non-governmental organization focused on women empowerment. Follow her blog www.prithakhanal.com and my Facebook account: @pritha.khanal.