Khairul Saleh, Palembang – The level of domestic violence in Palembang has dropped but the figure is still alarming and more preventive efforts are needed, the Women's Crisis Center (WCC) says.
In its report, the WCC said there were 138 incidents of domestic violence in the South Sumatran capital, 35.3 percent of the 391 reported incidents of violence against women during 2010.
Although the figure showed a drop from the 194 cases in 2009, or 51.8 percent of the 374 reported acts of violence against women, the true figure is believed to be much higher.
WCC executive director Yeni Roslaini Izi said the real level of violence against women in the region could be 10 times higher because most victims did not report the incidents.
"The victims are mostly women between the ages of 19 and 40," Yeni said, adding that there were 126 reported incidents in the 19-24 age group and 119 reported incidents in the 25-40 age group.
Apart from domestic violence, Yeni said, the WCC also tracked a high number of incidents of rape (90 cases or 23 percent), sexual harassment (15 percent) and premarital violence (45 cases of 11.5 percent).
She added that 57 of the perpetrators in the reported cases were in the 19-24 age range and 175 of them in the 25-40 age range.
The WCC said 114 of the victims were high school graduates and 86 were junior high graduates. The WCC added that 127 of the perpetrators were high school graduates and 89 were university graduates.
"This shows that people with a high level of education also commit violence," Yeni said.
The WCC data also showed that 97 of the victims were homemakers, 76 were students, 39 were university students, 17 were teachers or lecturers and 13 were civil servants.
The WCC said 51 of the perpetrators were university students, 37 were civil servants, 36 were students, 33 were employed in the private sector, and 32 were teachers or lecturers. "In some cases, the perpetrators were mid-level civil servants," Yeni said.
The report indicated that 80 percent of the reports of domestic violence in South Sumatra originated in Palembang, partly due to the town's high population.
Yeni said investigations into 20 percent of the cases had gone through to the legal phase, 14 percent were halted for a variety of reasons and the rest were settled through mediation.
The level of violence, Yeni said, spanned the range from minor injuries to death, sexual violence including unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, and psychological violence such as trauma, depression and mental disorder.
She expressed concern that both the local administration and the community did not do enough to prevent the violence.
However, Yeni welcomed the recent passage of a bylaw on violence against women by the provincial legislature.
She said she hoped the administration would allocate adequate funds to protect victims' rights and work with integrated service centers helping women and children.
WCC counselor Sintia pointed out that joint efforts were needed to reduce the level of violence.
"The level of violence endured by women is something that concerns us all," she said.
She underlined the importance of creating awareness and courage among women to report any incidents of violence they experience both in their family and in a wider social context.