Jakarta – "Why does marital status seem to be the panacea for everything about the future of an eastern woman? Does marriage constitute insurance for the future through breeding?"

These powerful questions were posed by Nita Oktaviya, a junior high student from Jakarta who was one of the winners of the 7th Young Indonesian Writers' Awards, a contest organized by the Unicef and The Indonesian Child Welfare Foundation (YKAI) in partnership with the Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry.

The winning story, titled The flag does not fly here anymore, was written by Nita as a reflection on the perceptions on equality and why marriage was still widely regarded as a form of "insurance" to guarantee the future livelihood of Indonesian women. "The flag symbolizes the freedom of women living in eastern cultures," she said.

Nita said the preparations for her sister's wedding had inspired her to write the story. The rigid roles of the wife also bothered Nita.

"When a daughter is about to get married, mothers often say things like, 'You have to learn how to cook and take care of your husband'," she said. "Washing the dishes should not be associated with being a house wife," she said.

Another winner was Aditya Gilank Ramadhan, a student from a state high school in Jakarta who described the process of "cultural conditioning" leading to corruption. Aditya writes that corruption starts with little things, such as being late to work.

Nita and Aditya were two among more than 1,600 youths from across Indonesia who submitted entries on this year's theme, which was culture in the eyes of children.

Unicef representative in Indonesia Angela Kearney said "The voices of teenagers all over Indonesia ring clearly with their rich variety of ideas, their concerns and their hopes. Unicef is extremely proud to have encouraged such an outlet for insights to cultural issues that are the starting point for permanent social change." (JP/map)