Elisabeth Oktofani – The Social Affairs Ministry and the Witness and Victim Protection Agency on Tuesday announced they were teaming up to provide safe havens for domestic abuse victims

Nurfika Osman – A controversial group calling itself the "Obedient Wives Club" may open a branch in Jakarta this month.

Ronna Nirmala – Oppressive laws adopted since the fall of Suharto are threatening to erode long-held women's rights, activists warned on Wednesday.

Elisabeth Oktofani – Activists said on Monday that violence against women still dominated reports on women's issues in the print media and that other angles and themes needed to be expl

Elly Burhaini Faizal, Jakarta – Lack of education and training has resulted in the sluggish expansion of job opportunities for women in Indonesia, experts say.

Jakarta – To commemorate Kartini Day this year, a coalition of women's rights activists under the Indonesian Women Front demanded the government prioritize the provision of adequate soc

Jakarta – Female activists from the Indonesia Women's Front plan to march for women's rights on Kartini Day in Jakarta on Thursday.

Johannes Nugroho – Today marks the 132nd anniversary of the birth of Raden Ajeng Kartini, Indonesia's most celebrated feminist.

James Balowski, Jakarta – The gruesome murder of three members of the Ahmadiyah religious sect by an Islamist mob has left Indonesia's image of pluralism and religious tolerance in tatt

Nurfika Osman – While some would argue that Indonesia is still a male-dominated society, recent economic data suggest that women are playing a larger and increasingly more important rol

Nurfika Osman – A men's organization advocating gender equality was launched in Jakarta on Thursday, giving women an unlikely ally in the battle against male dominance.

Jakarta – Women should have greater opportunities in decision-making processes to ensure the effectiveness of policy programs designed to help the poor – especially women and children –

Arientha Primanita – A transvestite organization on Tuesday urged the public order agency, or Satpol PP, to abstain from using violence when conducting raids.

Working mothers need longer maternity leave, allowing them to exclusively breast-feed their newborn babies for first six months, activists say.

Suzanne Woo – Indonesian women are splashing out on treatments at spas aimed at meeting Islamic values, including paying for special headscarf styling, as affluence rises in the world's

Max Lane – In hindsight, there was a great deal of beauty in the scene.

Alex Walls – Many Muslim women have suffered in silence through years of repression and discrimination in school, at work and at home.

Elisabeth Oktofani & Anita Rachman – Female legislators and regional heads are failing to use their positions to promote gender equality, a women's rights activist said on Tuesday.

Tifa Asrianti, Jakarta – Women teachers have a lower success rate compared to their male counterparts since housechores hold them back from attaining minimum degree required for certifi

Nurfika Osman – The notion that Islam relegates women to the background and discourages them from participating in public life is a narrow-minded one, scholars said at a discussion on T

Jakarta – Free trade, weak government and rising religious fundamentalism made Indonesian women's lives more miserable last year, the Indonesian Women Coalition said.

Ismira Lutfia, Jakarta – For the most part, women only ever seem to make the headlines for their role as a famous person's relative, a victim or a criminal, a reporters' guild says.

Nurfika Osman – Indonesian women are largely unfamiliar with the Millennium Development Goals despite being a key target demographic, hence hurting the government's chances of achieving

Jakarta – Women's rights group LBH Apik released its year-end letter on Monday, in which it highlighted several topics concerning women's rights; from weak enforcement of the domestic v

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 (WC

Jakarta – - Women from the Islamic organization Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) staged a rally in front of the Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry, calling for women to be c

Tifa Asrianti, Jakarta – When it comes to settling cases of violence against women, formal legal mechanisms are not the preferred option for women living in traditional communities, a N

Nurfika Osman – Despite widespread criticism, the number of discriminatory bylaws continues to increase across the country, a leading women's rights group said on Tuesday.

Arghea Desafti Hapsari – Unlike their US counterparts, Indonesian Military (TNI) members and National Police officers have no official don't-ask-don't-tell (DADT) policy that restricts

Arghea Desafti Hapsari – "Dorian", a 30-year-old brand manager for one of the nation's largest consumer goods companies does not sport the stereotypical attributes of a person with his

As the world's largest Muslim majority nation, Indonesia has long been on the road to embrace tolerance – particularly tolerance of its lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) com

Jakarta – The bill on housing and settlement has continued to draw criticism from civil society groups, including the National Commission on Violence against Women, or Komnas Perempuan,

The National Commission on Violence against Women has reported that more than 85 bylaws in the country discriminate against women to this date with the figure tending to increase each y

Nurdin Hasan, Banda Aceh – Islamic boarding schools, called dayah in Aceh, are not just for the pious.

Nurfika Osman, Jakarta – Patriarchal religious traditions play a key role in fostering a culture of violence against women, and Indonesia is not immune to this problem, activists have s

Elisabeth Oktofani, Jakarta – The media is a powerful force in forming public opinion, but all too often, that power is used in a way that reinforces the exploitation of women for profi

ng Yuniardi, Semarang – The Central Java provincial administration in the process of setting up Commission on Anti-violence against Women and Children in line with Regional Bylaw No.

Nurfika Osman, Jakarta – Many transgenders are finding little sympathy from the government as they struggle to obtain vitally important ID cards.

Tifa Asrianti, Jakarta – Besieged by advertisements on the ideal image for women – slim, white-skinned with long straight hair – more women are trying to fit the picture by taking risks

Jakarta – Discriminatory laws and bylaws in Indonesia have forever altered the personal lives of poor and marginalized women by denying them full control of their reproductive systems,

Dessy Sagita, Jakarta – Amnesty International on Thursday demanded that the government abolish laws infringing on women's reproductive health rights, including the law that forbids abor

Indonesian laws need to be reformed to help overcome discriminatory practices

Nurfika Osman, Jakarta – The Ministry of Women and Child Protection is consulting the National Commission of Violence Against Women as it presses ahead with its bill on gender equality.

Hotli Simanjuntak, Banda Aceh – Opposition by ulema and councilors in Aceh to a woman becoming district head is reportedly weakening.

Nurdin Hasan, Banda Aceh – In a move criticized as an insult to the dignity of women, an Aceh district speaker has called for the replacement of a female subdistrict head, arguing that

Dina Indrasafitri, Jakarta – When Wina decided to shed her jilbab, the headscarf symbolizing, for most people, a woman's commitment to Islam, her husband commented, "It's up to you, but

Jakarta – Indonesia has made significant strides to empower women recently – but activists say progress is hampered by weak enforcement and religious conservatism.

Irwan Firdaus, Jakarta – As the train rattled into Indonesia's capital, 19-year-old Wiwit Wahyuningsih leaned back in a soft, pink-cushioned seat in a carriage newly designated exclusiv

Report Katrin Figge – "As a 13-year-old girl, Ronasih was picked up on her way home from school by a soldier nicknamed Sideburns and locked up in a nearby barracks.

Jakarta – A lack of legal protection – and a culture that excuses casual verbal and physical sexual abuse – makes obscene behavior an everyday experience for women on the streets and bu