Jakarta, IO – Scores of women dressed in black held a protest at the Horse Statue and IRTI Monas to commemorate International Women’s Day on March 8. They hail from labour unions, student organizations, environmental groups, feminist activists and journalist association. They carried posters calling for justice for victims of still unresolved cases to the difficulties faced by women from all walks of life.
The protest was also participated in by men and transgender group. They join hands to support women in their fight to be free from the shackles of culture that confine them.
One of the demands from the Federation of Militant Trade Unions was menstrual leave. “The media industry is not friendly to women and LGBT journalists. Clean it up!” read another poster raised by the Alliance of Indonesian Journalists (AJI) Jakarta.
Dea Safira Basori, one of the participants, said that there were many demands made by the action group. She said the ratification of Domestic Workers Protection bill (RUU PPRT) was one of the priority agendas.
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“There are lots of demands. Each group has their demands. At the moment we are both fighting for the passage of the PRRT bill, but that doesn’t mean that’s all we are demanding. Many of the women’s problems stem from structural problems,” she said.
Dea also said that women, especially in a patriarchal culture, face many difficulties. She said that actually women have spaces to develop, but deep-rooted structural problems make that space a dark and constrictive one. (un)