Women, including nuns, dance during a March 8 rally to mark International Women's Day in Jakarta. The umbrellas symbolize government protection of women. (Photo by Ryan Dagur)
Cases of sexual violence against women in Indonesia increased significantly last year, according to an annual report by the National Commission on Violence against Women.
Released on March 7, the day before International Women's Day, the 85-page report said there were 6,499 reported cases of sexual assault against women in 2015.
Last year saw a dramatic 45.8 percent jump in the number of sex attack cases compared to 2014, in which 4,457 assaults were recorded, the commission said.
Many attacks were carried out by members of their own families, the report said.
The main reason for the increase is that more women are having the courage to come forward and report attacks, according to Yuniyanti Chuzaifah, the commission's deputy chairwoman.
The true figure is almost certainly very much worse, she told ucanews.com.
More women would come forward if society and the government made extra efforts to help victims not only win justice but also help them overcome what is a deeply traumatic experience, she said.
"A victim's recovery is ignored. For victims, justice isn’t only about the legal dimension but how they are treated by society," she said.
Being raped or assaulted carries a social stigma and many victims are made to feel that they are at fault for being attacked, so "we need to hear victims' voices," she added.
The commission says it is pushing for laws aimed at combatting sexual violence against women.
Ursuline Sister Irena Handayani of the Jakarta Archdiocese's Caring for Migrant Workers Network also called for more to be done to prevent attacks and to help victims.
"The Catholic Church is trying to help victims with religious offering counseling through their own congregations' justice and peace commissions," she told ucanews.com.
She said her congregation has focused on prevention.
"We hold trainings and seminars for schoolchildren to encourage awareness at an early age. Prevention is very important," she added, saying her congregation intends to set up a shelter for victims.
Meanwhile, more than 300 women from various nongovernmental organizations staged a two-hour march and rally in central Jakarta to mark International Women's day on March 8.
At the rally outside the presidential palace they called for greater equality and rights in the workplace and for greater protection for victims of domestic violence.