Debbie A. Lubis, Jakarta – The gloomy reality for Indonesian women in 2002 should be addressed by women themselves through their active participation in social, political, economical and cultural aspects of life, a noted activist has said.

Nursyahbani Katjasungkana, the secretary-general of the Indonesian Women's Coalition (KPI), said that women needed to empower themselves in order to be able to articulate their interests and develop social protection without relying on the state.

"This year is a year of defeat for women and ironically it occurs under a government led by a woman. We are not pessimistic [about our struggle] although we are a bit disappointed. We will continue our struggle next year," she said.

Nursyahbani was speaking on the sidelines of a discussion on the country's performance in addressing women in 2002. The discussion was organized by KPI, a coalition of 15 different interest groups. KPI said in its report released on Saturday that women had continued to fall victim to sexual exploitation, the worst forms of labor, domestic violence and gender-biased rulings, while the government was indecisive about granting appropriate legal protection to women.

The report said that 72.8 percent of the country's migrant workers were women and that they were prone to physical and sexual abuse. KPI also recorded that some 70,000 girls and women had become victims of sexual abuse and people trafficking this year, while women also made up the 600,000 illegal migrant workers deported from Malaysia this year.

Some rulings in certain regions also restrict women in what they can wear. "Even the bill on antipornography underlines that women should wear appropriate dress considering the occasion and certain customs," Nursyahbani said.

However, she said the biggest defeat that women had suffered this year was a rejection by President Megawati Soekarnoputri and the House of Representatives (DPR) of a provision for a 30-percent quota of women to occupy seats in the legislative, executive and judicial branches.

"The increase of women in the legislature is a powerful tool that enables women to not only contribute to changes within policies but to also participate in the policy-making processes. I hope our struggle will not be in vain because of the rejection," she said.

Nursyahbani said it would take time to change a patriarchal culture and way of thinking. She said that the struggle for female representation was not related to gender since women were often marginalized in the decision-making process. "That's why dialogs with people from every walk of life are needed but it is not an instant process. Civic education will also help women to exercise their rights rationally," she said.

Nursyahbani ruled out the possibility of political parties taking advantage of women's issues in their campaigns for the 2004 general election. "This suspicion has been raised, but I'm sure it can be a good start for raising awareness for the urgency to increase women's representation," she said.

Separately, Lily Widjadja, the country director of New York-based brokerage Merrill Lynch, said that it was important for women to see themselves as human beings in leading their lives. "We are the same as men, we have strengths and limitations – I do not say weaknesses. I refuse to accept any privileges just because I am a woman. No, thank you very much; I'm ready to compete with anyone to achieve anything," she told The Jakarta Post.

Lily is also a commissioner of the Jakarta Stock Exchange and the secretary-general of the Association of Indonesian Stock Companies. She said that it was true that men were dominant in all aspects of life but it was not clear whether the mass representation of men was because of the gender issue. "Having a quota of representation might be helpful for empowering women but it is not necessary. It's a matter of how we are perceived as a person and both women and men complement each other. My achievements are because of my capabilities and abilities," Lily said.