Mariani Dewi, Jakarta – Indonesians believe domestic violence is the most serious problem for Indonesian women that authorities need to address urgently, a survey released here on Friday found.
The study found more than half of 2,500 respondents believed curbing domestic violence was the most urgent thing that needs to be done for women.
Other urgent problems identified for women were their access to health care (31.3%), a lack of formal education (31%), limited legal protection (24%) and income (24%).
The survey was conducted by the Public Interest Research and Advocacy Center (PIRAC) on middle-class households in 11 major cities including Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan and Bandung. The respondents, comprising men and women, were chosen randomly and interviewed face-to-face.
According to the National Commission for Women's Protection, domestic violence accounts for the majority of offenses against women in the last five years. Data from the Commission shows there were more than 25,000 cases reported last year through 215 organizations including police and hospitals.
The number of cases has increased threefold since 2003, the commission said. The commission said the sharp rise was due to increasing public awareness about such offenses, especially after the enactment of the 2004 national law on eradication of domestic violence.
However, the commission accused some local authorities of violating the laws by adopting discriminatory policies against women, especially sharia-inspired bylaws that have been much criticized by human rights groups.
Despite rising awareness, there was little practical public support for the interests of women, it said. The survey found only 20 percent of respondents had donated to empowerment programs intended for women, although more than 90 percent claimed to be willing to do so if requested.
More than half said they did not donate because they had never been approached or requested to, while another two-fifths did the same because they did not understand the problem or did not support the organizations seeking money.
"The public, especially women, want to donate but most organizations for women have failed to tap into the market," PIRAC researcher Hamid Abidin told a press conference for the survey.
"Donors need to be encouraged to develop preferences for women's projects. If they donate to a common cause, most of the funds will go to men. Men already have a head start," he said.