Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Calls are mounting for the government to introduce sex education into schools nationwide with the legislature throwing its support behind the cause, as anger and frustration grows within the nation over a series of gang rapes.
The House of Representatives (DPR) believes addressing the root of the sexual violence problem against Indonesian women as most important. Sexual violence is believed to have stemmed from the hierarchy of gender relations based on traditional norms, where masculinity is deemed more superior than femininity – associated with female domestication and "powerlessness".
Sociologist CJ Pascoe showed in her field research in an American high school that to assure their masculinity and heterosexuality, boys show dominance over girls bodies by "rituals of getting girls" (or having a girlfriend), "rituals of touch" (ranging from flirtation to assault-like interactions) and "sex-talk" (sharing stories about their sexual adventures and exercising dominance over girls' bodies to affirm their masculinity).
"Violence is a cultural problem, so children have to be taught on how to respect their opposite gender," lawmaker Eva Kusuma Sundari of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) told The Jakarta Post on Friday. Therefore, she will push Culture and Education Minister Anies Baswedan to include sex education in the national curriculum.
"It's a problem of mind-set, so in order to change it, we have to have an institutionalized effort, which is education," Eva, who is also vice chair of the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights, said.
The public has been shocked by recent reports of the gang rape and murder of Yuyun, a 14-year-old girl, in Bengkulu by 14 males, seven of whom are still underage. The revelation of Yuyun's case has led to reports of similar cases emerging in other parts of the country.
Amid public outcry, the government recently revealed its plan to introduce life imprisonment and death penalty to rapists, with a maximum of 15 years' imprisonment, because of the current law's leniency. The government is also mulling over punishing rapists with chemical castration. However, the plan is too reactive, as opposed to addressing the root of the problem, Eva said.
Last year's Global Review on Emerging Evidence, Lesson, and Practice in Comprehensive Sexuality Education by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) highlighted that children between 10 and 14 years marked a significant transition period for young adolescents. This transition period determines attitudes and behaviors according to gender-related norms.
"There's a momentum. Anies need to stand up and say this is what I've done to prevent rapes," Eva said. The Asia Foundation's Indonesia representative, Sandra Hamid, also shares the same sentiment. "Women's rights has to start from education," she said.