Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Indonesia: Is Women-Only Transport Effective?

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Astrid Nikijuluw, Serpong, Banten, Indonesia SSH Blog Correspondent

English version below.

AREA KHUSUS WANITA PADA TRANSPORTASI UMUM: EFEKTIF?

Image courtesy of: Tribunnews.com

Kereta pagi meluncur dari stasiun Manggarai menuju stasiun tanah abang.  Di dalam penumpang kereta yang berdesak-desakkan, terdapat Agnes yang hendak berangkat menuju kantor.  Tiba-tiba dari arah belakang dia merasakan sesuatu yang aneh.  Sontak ia segera berbalik badan dan dengan lantang berteriak ke muka pria yang tepat berdiri di belakangnya,”Heh! Kamu sengaja ya gesek-gesek?!” Pria tersebut tidak bisa mengelak dan di stasiun berikutnya dia pun diturunkan oleh petugas dan dilaporkan pada pihak berwenenang.

Kisah diatas merupakan ilustrasi dari kejadian pelecehan seksual yang kerap terjadi di transportasi umum di Indonesia.  Banyaknya pengguna kereta di pagi hari mengakibatkan hal-hal seperti ini terkadang sulit dihindari.  Kejadian pelecehan seksual seperti yang terjadi pada KRL juga terjadi pada penumpang wanita Bis Trans Jakarta.    Beruntung pemerintah cukup peduli dengan hal tersebut.  PT Kereta Api Indonesia melalui PT KAI Commuter Jabodetabek (KCJ) terhitung sejak tanggal 1 Oktober 2012 meresmikan kereta khusus wanita.  Gerbong khusus ini biasanya terdapat pada gerbong pertama dan gerbong terakhir dari rangkaian KRL.  Selain pada transportasi kereta api, transportasi umum lainnya yang juga terdapat area khusus wanita adalah Bis Trans Jakarta.  Bis Trans Jakarta juga merupakan sarana umum yang kerap digunakan oleh para pekerja setiap harinya.  Dengan adanya area-area khusus wanita tersebut dapat pemerintah Indonesia melalui PT KCJ  seperti yang diungkapkan oleh Eva Chairunissa selaku VP Communications PT KCJ dapat mengakomodasi permintaan para pengguna KRL yang merasa risih harus berdempet-dempetan dengan lawan jenis.  Selain itu ia juga mengharapkan agar dengan adanya gerbong khusus wanita dapat menghindari kejadian-kejadian yang tidak diharapkan yang korbannya lebih sering perempuan. (https://news.detik.com/berita/d-3504057/sejarah-gerbong-krl-khusus-wanita-di-indonesia-dan-negara-lain)

Saya sebagai salah satu pengguna reguler KRL sangat mengapresiasi tindakan pemerintah dalam mengurangi pelecehan seksual terhadap pengguna wanita baik di kereta maupun di Bis.  Kejadian seperti ilustrasi kisah diatas memang sangat mengganggu bahkan cenderung menjadi terror yang cukup menakutkan bagi sebagian wanita terutama para korban dari tindakan asusila tersebut.  Saya merasa cukup beruntung tidak pernah mengalami kejadian ini.  Dalam pengamatan saya membaca berita-berita, semenjak diadakannya area khusus wanita baik pada kereta api maupun bis trans Jakarta, kasus pelecehan seksual pada transportasi umum tidak sebanyak sebelumnya. Namun apakah hal ini bisa dibilang efektif untuk menanggulangi kasus-kasus pelecehan seksual yang terjadi pada sarana transporasi umum?  Saya rasa hal ini masih harus dikaji lebih dalam.  Coba sama-sama kita bayangkan.  Untuk merasa lebih aman, pengguna kereta wanita yang jumlahnya bisa mencapai puluhan bahkan ratusan ribu per harinya harus rela berdesak-desakkan dalam 2 gerbong yang tersedia.  Berita-berita terakhir bahkan menunjukkan kejadian tidak mengenakkan di gerbong wanita seperti adu mulut berebut tempat duduk.  Sehingga akhirnya sebagian dari mereka tetap menggunakan gerbong biasa dengan resiko bisa mengalami kejadian pelecehan seksual.  Dan apabila memang terjadi, akankah mereka disalahkan karena ‘memilih dengan sengaja’ gerbong yang bukan dikhususkan untuk wanita?

Buat saya kejelasan hukum juga menjadi poin penting dalam rangka pencegahan kasus pelecehan seksual tersebut.  Dari penelitian singkat saya mengenai kasus-kasus pelecehan seksual yang terjadi di transportasi umum, pelaku tidak mendapat hukum yang setimpal, bahkan dalam beberapa kasus dibebaskan karena dianggap ‘hanya’ melakukan percobaan.  Bukankah segala sesuatu itu berawal dari ‘mencoba’?  Kalau berhasil diteruskan.  Justru titik krusial menurut saya adalah pada saat mencoba ini.  Jika dari hal ini saja sudah ‘dibolehkan’ secara hukum maka jangan heran kalau kasus pelecehan seksual masih akan dan terus berlangsung di transportasi umum.  Sejauh ini saya belum menemukan hukuman yang dapat memberikan efek jera kepada para pelaku kejahatan seksual tersebut.  Sekali lagi seperti yang pernah saya tulis sebelumnya, hal ini masih belum dianggap serius.  Padahal efek yang ditimbulkan kepada para korban sangat dalam.  Berdasarkan laman resmi dari Komnas Perempuan (komnasperempuan.go.id) pelecehan seksual dikategorikan ‘hanya’ sebagai perbuatan yang tidak menyenangkan dalam hukum Indonesia.  Hal inilah menurut saya yang masih perlu perbaikan.

Upaya pemerintah dengan mengadakan area khusus wanita pada transportasi umum patut kita hargai.  Setidaknya pemerintah masih peduli terhadap kasus-kasus pelecehan seksual yang kerap terjadi pada pengguna wanita.  Namun alangkah baiknya apabila langkah yang sudah baik ini diikuti pula dengan payung hukum yang sepadan.  Kita semua juga tahu tidak mungkin semua penumpang wanita berada di area khusus wanita.  Sebagian akan tetap berada di area umum.  Dengan hukum yang jelas dan bisa menimbulkan efek jera, akan sangat menunjang usaha pengurangan tingkat pelecehan seksual di area publik dan transportasi umum.  Jika tidak maka jangan heran apabila kejadian seperti akan tetap berlangsung tanpa dapat dicegah.

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.

The morning train is on its way from Manggarai station to Tanah Abang station.  Among those many people, there was Agnes who is on her way to the office.  Suddenly she feels something disturbing.  She quickly turns her body angrily and yells at the man standing behind her, “Hei! Are you intentionally touching my back with your p***s?! The man cannot avoid the accusation and in the next station he is brought to the post for further process.

The above story is an illustration of how the sexual harassment happens on public transportation in Indonesia. The crowds of people using the trains and buses in their daily morning makes that behavior seems unavoidable.

Luckily the government has shown their concern towards this matter. Since October 1, 2012, PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Indonesian Train Company) through PT KAI COMMUTER JABODETABEK (KCJ) has run women-only transit carriages in the front and back of the train.  In addition to the train, the trans-Jakarta bus, which is also a common mode of transportation, has a special area for women, the first few rows behind the driver.

Eva Chairunissa, the VP Communications of PT KCJ, said the women-only areas are meant to help women riders feel more comfortable. The government hopes that the women-only areas are decreasing the levels of sexual harassment and that people are more comfortable using the public transportation.

I, as one of the public transportation user, really appreciate what the government has done in order to reduce the level of sexual harassment in public transportation. I am lucky enough to never have experienced such an incident, but based on what I’ve read in the news, the sexual harassment cases have gone down since the launch of the women-only areas.

However is it really effective at decreasing the level of sexual harassment in public transportation?  I think it still needs to be reviewed.  Let’s imagine.  To feel more comfortable and safe, women passengers, who are up to hundreds of thousands in number each day have to use only two carriages on the train or the first few rows on the trans-Jakarta bus.  There is simply not enough space for all women and there are often arguments over seating. Thus, many women still use the regular area in the public transportation and face the risk of experiencing sexual harassment there.  And of course if and when that happens, some may blame them for choosing the “wrong” area.

In my opinion, women-only options are not enough. The clarity of the law is also very important in order to prevent sexual harassment.  From my own research of news stories, the punishment for the perpetrators are not worth it, even in some cases they are not being punished because they were ‘only’ just ‘trying’ to sexually harass the victim…. But doesn’t everything start from trying? If they succeed, they may do it again. The crucial moment for me is at the stage of ‘trying’. If this stage is ‘allowed’ according to law, then no wonder sexual harassment cases in public transportation still occur.  Thus far, I haven’t found any punishment that would realistically act as a deterrent to the perpetrators.  Once again, as my two last articles had stated, this kind of behavior has not yet been taken seriously.

Based on the KOMNAS PEREMPUAN (National Commission On Violence Against Women) website, by law, sexual harassment is categorized only as a “disturbing behavior” that is on the same level as other behavior, such as cheating. This is what needs to be improved.  The current sexual harassment law is not at all adequate to accommodate the range of every day behaviors.

The government’s plan for preventing sexual harassment in public transportation by creating women-only areas is well-respected.  At least the government has done something.  However, it would be much better if this action was accompanied with a decent law, especially as many women still use the regular sections of public transportation. Therefore a stronger law will help reduce the sexual harassment cases on a larger scale in public spaces, including public transportation.  Otherwise, we can’t be surprised when sexual harassment incidents continue to occur.

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Mid-February 2016 News

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Here’s a sampling of relevant stories from the past two weeks:

BBC, “Iranian youth get app to dodge morality police”

Via BBC
Via BBC

“An anonymous team of Iranian app developers have come up with a solution to help young fashion conscious Iranians avoid the country’s notorious morality police known in Persian as “Ershad” or guidance.

Ershad’s mobile checkpoints which usually consist of a van, a few bearded men and one or two women in black chadors, are deployed in towns across Iran and appear with no notice.

Ershad personnel have a very extensive list of powers ranging from issuing warnings and forcing those they accuse of violating Iran’s Islamic code of conduct, to make a written statement pledging to never do so again, to fines or even prosecuting offenders.

The new phone app which is called “Gershad” (probably meaning get around Ershad instead of facing them) however, will alert users to checkpoints and help them to avoid them by choosing a different route.

The data for the app is crowdsourced. It relies on users to point out the location of the Ershad vans on maps and when a sufficient number of users point out the same point, an alert will show up on the map for other users. When the number decreases, the alert will fade gradually from the map.

In a statement on their web page the app’s developers explain their motives in this way: “Why do we have to be humiliated for our most obvious right which is the right to wear what we want? Social media networks and websites are full of footage and photos of innocent women who have been beaten up and dragged on the ground by the Ershad patrol agents.”

“Police need to provide security for the citizens not to turn into a factor for fear. A while ago, angry with such unreasonable oppressions, we looked for a solution to find a practical way to resist the volume of injustices peacefully with low risk level, to restore part of our freedom.”

The app has rapidly become a hot topic on Iranian social media, with users generally welcoming it as an innovative way to avoid a potentially unpleasant encounter with the guardians of national virtue.”

BuzzFeed News, “Teen Turns Himself In After On-Air Sexual Assault Of Belgian TV Reporter”

“A 17-year-old man has turned himself in to police in Cologne, Germany, after a Belgian journalist covering a city carnival was sexually assaulted during a live television report.

Esmeralda Labye, a reporter for Belgium’s RTBF, had her breast grabbed and neck kissed while reporting from Cologne’s Carnival celebrations.

In a statement released Friday by Cologne police, authorities said the teen, who was accompanied by his mother, told officers he appeared in the images taken of the incident.

Police said the teen denied having approached the journalist with “sexually motivated intentions.”

It is unclear if he has been charged in the incident. Police said the investigation is still ongoing.

According to the BBC, there were 22 incidents of sexual assault on the first night of Carnival.”

Women’s Refugee Commission, “No Safety for Refugee Women on the European Route”

“There is virtually no consideration of gender-based violence along the route to ensure safe environments, identify survivors and ensure that services are provided to them…

There is an urgent need for the Serbian and Slovenian governments, in collaboration and coordination with other countries, the European Union (EU) and the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), to take control of a hastily developed and chaotic humanitarian response and put in place the policies, programs, services and personnel that will protect women and girls from a myriad of risks from the moment they arrive and through the journey to a safe resettlement.”

News, “Woman uses The Force to repel attacker in absurd Finnish anti-rape video”

“Police in Finland have been panned over an absurd anti-rape video which appears to show a woman using ‘The Force’ to repel a would-be attacker….

Some questioned whether the video was a joke or a Saturday Night Live sketch, while others pointed out the obvious Star Wars references.

Many were simply angry. ‘It’s not even funny anymore, but really, really pathetic that it’s come to this,’ wrote Jaana Tuukkanen.”

Independent, “German residents left outraged after mayor says young girls ‘provoke’ sexual harassment”

“Residents of a small German town have been left outraged after its mayor suggested young girls “provoke” sexual harassment.

Jens Müller, Mayor of Bad Schlema, Saxony, made the comments at a council meeting last week, after a grandfather raised concerns young girls were being subject to harassment as they walked home from school, German newspaper FreiePresse reports….

The man, who has not been identified, claimed his granddaughter, who he said was under 10 years old, had been a victim of such behaviour.

In response to the comments Mr Müller said: “That’s easy, just don’t provoke them and don’t walk in these areas.”

“It’s technically not necessary for the girls to walk there,” he added. “There are alternative routes for going to school.”

The comments sparked outrage among residents who accused the mayor of focusing on the victims rather than the perpetrators.”

The Establishment, “Nobody Catcalls the Woman in the Wheelchair”

“Why is my experience so invisible to the feminist community?

When I retreated to online feminist spaces—supposedly safe spaces—looking for community, what I found was endless discussions of the ubiquity of street harassment. Here was a universal consequence of sexism, misogyny, and rape culture. Here was something all women could understand and rally against. Here was our uniting experience.

I found feminism and I thought, Maybe I don’t count here either.

I don’t expect every conversation of street harassment to come with a disclaimer, and I certainly don’t expect to see myself reflected in every essay or article or tweet on the subject. But this admittedly useful assumption that “Women Experience Sexualized Street Harassment” is necessarily exclusionary. That’s not the intent, but as feminists ought to know, intent doesn’t erase harm.”

Broadly, “Big Tits for 600: The Ugly, Sexist Aftermath of Appearing on ‘Jeopardy!‘”

“After my appearance on the theoretically wholesome game show went viral, I received countless lewd and harassing Internet comments. Sadly, my experience is not unique….

when I joined an online group for fellow Jeopardy! alumnae, I discovered that, with the exception of the Turd Ferguson viral thing, my experience had not been all that unique: I began to notice that other women had experienced the same bombardment, and some of them had felt the same crimson-faced confusion about how to react….

Other women—like Amanda Hess, Anita Sarkeesian, and Congresswoman Katherine Clark—have spoken out about the ways women can be the subjects of disproportionate and gendered harassment online. None of the women I spoke to, myself included, had expected their spot in a family-friendly, early-evening trivia show to earn them a toxic mixture of sexualized opprobrium.

And yet, as I set out to better understand my own experience, and those of other women who had sought out America’s most famous trivia gauntlet, I was heartened by the one thing I did not find: regret. Not one of the women I spoke with regretted their decision to appear on Jeopardy!, fulfilling childhood dreams in some cases, paying off student debt in others. Despite the chagrin-inducing—and sometimes downright unsettling—responses we received, each of us had reveled in the change to engage in intellectual competition, to shake Alex Trebek’s hand, and, in my case, to strike a blow for doofuses everywhere.

“Those men don’t own me. I own me and determine how I behave and how I present myself,” said Tiombi Prince. “I refuse to have my accomplishments diminished.”

Oxygen, “Oxygen52: Tatyana Fazlalizadeh Uses Public Art To Fight Street Harassment”

“Her newest portrait series, Women Are Not Seeking Your Validation, is currently on display at the Corridor gallery in Brooklyn. Just as with Stop Telling Women to Smile, it was important for Fazlalizadeh to share the faces as well as the voices of women by incorporating their words into each portrait. Though some text speaks to the viewer and some to the individual woman’s experience and who she is as a person, every piece is an effort to address how women are perceived in public privates spaces – art galleries, school settings, work environments. It’s about reclaiming spaces and raising the voices of women, one portrait at a time.”

Jakarta Post, “Greater Jakarta: Go-Jek driver sacked for sexual harassment“:

“A male motorcycle taxi driver working for smartphone application Go-Jek has been fired for alleged sexual harassment against a young female passenger. The passenger’s sibling posted message about the incident on social media. The now-viral post was initially shared via social media platform Path but has now been shared through other platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. According to the post, the Go-Jek driver, Irwan, picked up the 17-year-old victim at her school. During the ride to the young girl’s home, Irwan told the victim stories of his sex life, causing the latter to be uncomfortable. The young girl reportedly ignored Irwan.

However, upon arriving at the specified destination, Irwan took the victim’s hand and hugged her. When the victim refused his advances, Irwan sexually harassed her.

The post also included text messages Irwan had sent to the victim after the incident. Irwan told the victim not to “misunderstand” and said that she still needed “much learning”. PT Go-Jek Indonesia public relations manager Rindu Ragilia said in an official statement that Go-Jek had cut partnership with Irwan, who has confessed to sexually harassing the victim.”

Slate, “Is Catcalling Ever Ok?”

“Through pop culture depictions and beauty norms, women are socialized to believe that one of their greatest contributions to society is sexual desirability, and that when their youthful beauty fades or never materializes at all, they’re worthless, or at least worth less. Women of any age deserve to feel beautiful, desirable, and of great import to the world. Whether she enjoys catcalls or not, she shouldn’t have to use them to measure her value.”

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Victim-blaming in Indonesia sparks protest

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“”Wear sensible clothes, don’t wear ‘inviting’ clothes. You can imagine, if [a woman] wears short skirt and sits next to the driver, it could be ‘inviting.'”

Protestors -- Image via Demotix

This is what Fauzi Wibowo, the governor of Jakarta, Indonesia, said on Friday after a bus driver raped a female passenger late at night this month and after another bus driver and unidentified perpetrators gang-raped and killed a university student.

He has since apologized for the comment.

On Sunday more than 50 people in Jakarta protested the victim-blaming comment and many women wore mini-skirts, something unusual in the most populous Muslim-majority country in the world.

They held signs that read, “Don’t tell us how to dress, tell them not to rape” and “My miniskirt is my right.”

Via the Jakarta Globe:

“‘We are here to express our anger. Instead of giving heavy punishment to the rapists, the governor blamed it on women’s dress. This is discrimination,’ protest coordinator Chika Noya told AFP.

‘Rape is a serious crime against humanity,’ Noya said, adding that the governor should guarantee women’s safety on public transport.

Protester Dhyta Caturani, dressed in a miniskirt and revealing top, said: “The way women dress is not the cause of sexual violence.”

Last year the head of Aceh Barat district stated that women who don’t wear Islamic women clothing are ‘asking to be raped.’ This statement was then rejected by Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI).”

It is sick that a political leader like a governor would say something so harmful and wrong. Well done to the protesters in Jakarta for not letting his comment slide and for bringing international attention to the victim-blaming taking place in their country.

The protest was inspired by the SlutWalk in Toronto, held in April in response to a victim-blaming comment made by a police officer. Dozens of SlutWalks have taken place around the world to similarly speak out against the all-too-common response of blaming the victim for sexual assault or sexual harassment rather than the perpetrator.

Victim-blaming must end!

(Thanks to The Pixel Project for the story tip)

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Ways to deal with street harassment in Indonesia

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It happened when I lived in Jakarta (Indonesia). My family (my husband and I have 2 kids) just moved there. I like taking my bike to see around the neighbourhood or just walk.

Most of the houses have guards. They sit or stand outside of the gate house together, playing card or smoke together. One day I passed them with my bike. When I was right i front of them, they started to whistle at me, a few of them were calling me, “hei hei where are you going?”, they said many things to me.

But, hey, I’m a mature woman. They can not do that to me. I’m not innocent little girl anymore. Be careful you, men!! So, I stopped my bike calmly, I went to them, looked at them calmly and confidence and said lots of things, that i do not like what they did to me. I said that I live in this neighbourhood, they will see me nearly everyday, and that will not be nice for me if they keep doing that, I also can report them to their bosses (they do not want to loose their job of course).

They said sorry.

And then every time I ride my bike or walk going somewhere, I always wear something nice, looking smart and “wealthy”. I realised, after a few experiences, if I wear something too simple (just t-shirt and short pants and sandal no make up) I got this street harassment. But if i wear something nice (at least wear shoes and sunglasses!!), I don’t get this nasty thing. And carry myself with confidence.

I hate street harassment.

– Anonymous

Location: Jakarta, Indonesia

Share your street harassment story today and help raise awareness about the problem. Include your location and it will be added to the Street Harassment Map.

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In Indonesia, women face harassment every day

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In Jakarta, Indonesia, street harassment impacts women’s lives every day. Like many countries, in Indonesia there is no legal regulation against street harassment, perpetrators claim they think they are doing women no harm, and women have been conditioned to stay silent about it. Combined, it means street harassment makes life hell for women when they’re on the streets, taking public transportation, and driving their own cars.

Two experts quoted for the  Jakarta Post give more insight into the problem and share their opinions about what needs to change:

“Women feel humiliated even though wolf whistles, cat calls and other sexual comments were not physical sexual harassment, said Yuniyanti Chuzaifah, National Commission on Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan) chairwoman.

A culture of sexual harassment in Indonesia is nurtured by both genders, Yuniyanti said. ‘Patriarchal culture is not an excuse for both genders to justify such harassment,’ she added…

Legal expert and activist Rita Serena Kolibonso said that there were no adequate laws against such offenses. ‘Our law is weak in relation to sexual harassment,’ she said…

‘We need a strong and binding law on sexual harassment, including those forms of small offenses like intimidating verbal gesture. We could propose an independent law or integrate sexual harassment into existing the Criminal Code, only if it explicitly specifies the offenses,’  she said.”

Two thoughts jumped at me after reading these quotes.

First, Chuzaifah makes an interesting point that while gender-based street harassers are primarily men, both women and men can contribute to its occurrence. It’s clear how men do – by engaging in harassment and not stopping other men from doing it – but what about women?

There are a few ways. Some women argue that it’s complimentary when men say inappropriate comments to them. Others slut-shame and say, “What do women expect with their low cut tops?” Others don’t speak out when their sons or brothers or uncles or male friends harass women. And some women do great damage by telling girls and other women that the harassment is their fault, demand they cover up, or admonish them to learn to take a compliment. None of those opinions or behaviors will ever help end street harassment.

Second, I hope activists and lawmakers will work to incorporate sexual harassment in current criminal laws in Indonesia, as Kolibonso suggests. The more often people talk about it and say there’s a need for it, the more likely it is that change will occur. That’s what’s been happening in Egypt, and maybe one day that’s what will happen in the US, too.

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