Wednesday, March 8, 2016, Rifka Annisa along with the network organized a protest in Wonosari, Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta. The protest highlighted a theme on 'Silence Is Not A Solution, Addressing the High Score Pregnancy and Sexual Violence against Children in Gunungkidul'.As this day was the International Women’s Day and in order to attract attention to cases of teenage pregnancy and sexual violence against children in Gunungkidul the action was conducted by various organizations and joined by the community.
In the district of Gunungkidul the number of cases of teenage pregnancy and sexual violence against adolescents and children increases. There is also a problem with cases of child labor and dissolutions of marriages that are in part submitted because of cases of extramarital pregnancy. Cases of sexual violence in the district of Gunungkidul that enter Rifka Annisa WCC are cases in which most victims are still adolescents and children. In order to be successful it is required to work together. To prevent cases of pregnancy and sexual violence against children the cooperation between parents, teachers, the village government and the society is necessary. As it is not wanted that the children of Gunungkidul become the victim of pregnancy and sexual violence, the function of the education, the responsibility of the society and the bureaucratic commitment has to be strengthened.
Rifka Annisa’s action took place in order to reach these goals. There were many banners that supported to attract attention and spread the message. During the action various people gave speeches to advocate the elimination of sexual violence against children in Gunungkidul. As a result many people viewed the action and listened to the orations curiously to obtain information and to be able to communicate. []
Writer: Lisa Hallmann, student of Ethnology at the University of Heidelberg, Faculty of Behavioral and Cultural Studies, Institute of Ethnology
Yoga and health are interrelated that close that an individual’s health can be improved through doing Yoga. In the meantime it is scientifically proven that Yoga reduces stress, improves body posture and flexibility, frees tensions and increases balance and concentration.
Besides physical goals as reducing joint problems, back pain and chronic discomfort there is a significant influence of Yoga in psychological goals concerning managing fear, uncertainty and blockades. This, in turn, increases life energy and self-confidence by balancing body, mind and soul.
Yoga directs the attention to the peace of mind and state of health that is often seen as a matter of course and is only noticed if it has got lost. Uncertainties challenge people to develop an increased awareness for their inner strength. Energy for body and mind can be received by deep breathing and rediscovering interior power.
Yoga offers holistic and differentiated instruments to overcome stress individually. There are studies showing the efficacy of Yoga working with traumatized people. Yoga seems to be a promising factor concerning the healing of psychological illnesses. Furthermore it could contribute to the prevention of illnesses caued by stress. Discussions about the superiority of Yoga compared with therapeutic intervention do exist, but there has to be broader research to confirm this assumption.
Negative thoughts felt as fear, anger or uncertainty influence the psycho-physical well-being. These thoughts are risk factors for the development of psychological troubles or illnesses. It is important to recognize these thoughts as alarming signals and to offer them space to prevent possible emerging psychosomatic afflictions.
A combination of exercises of breathing, moving, meditation and relaxing regenerates the body and increases the individual’s well-being. Certain Yoga exercises calm thoughts, offer the opportunity to deal with inner issues and cause the centering towards the own inner middle. In addition they increase concentration, self-confidence and faith. The energy flow will be improved, the psyche will be strengthened and the opportunity to direct life positively through own internal strength will be offered.
Through ways of comprehension, mindfulness, breathing, meditation and acceptance Yoga has a healthful impact towards body, mind and soul. There are many benefits like the increase of concentration and patience, detox, starched self-efficacy, down-to-earth feeling, animated creativity and sharpened intuition. People who want to experience this to strengthen their psycho-physical health should go for it!
References:
www.yogarelations.com
www.yoga-gymnastik.de
www.asanayoga.de
www.aponet.de
Writer: Lisa Hallmann,
Student of Ethnology, Faculty of Behavioral and Cultural Studies, University of Heidelberg, Germany.
Summary
The book "Being a Man – Javanese Perspectives about Masculinity and Domestic Violence“ represents a study concerning the different perspective of issues of violence which is not the women as victims but the men as perpetrators. It is a preliminary explorative study as an effort to understand dynamics of thoughts and feelings of men that are related with issues of masculinity and domestic violence.
There is a certain self perception of men concerning values of male patriarchy which includes the susceptibility to conduct violence against women as a large problem of male hegemonic awareness. Men seem to be tied up in patriarchal values what is expressed in the feeling of debacle as soon as women demonstrate to become more advanced. In a patriarchal culture the ideal of a man is to be strong, determined and responsible for his family. The woman stays at home as a housewife with loyalty towards her husband while taking care of the children. As physical power is the symbol of masculinity, violence against the wife is the most convenient way to resolve a husband‘s mental stress. Masculinity is not a single entitiy but diverse and deeply related with socio-economic status.
In Yogyakarta domestic violence including dating violence, rape and sexual harrasment is the kind of violence most frequently experienced by women. Domestic violence is a serious issue concerning community health, especially for women it is a risk factor to physical, mental and reproductive health. There is a diversity of risk factors contributing to violence including poverty, socio-cultural norms, masculinity and self-identity.
As there is insufficient information concerning men’s perspective the study aims to answer why men conduct violence against women and how men view themselves as well as how they view domestic violence.
Factors like the perception of manhood, perceptions about the status of men in the society including his social roles and responsibilities and perceptions concerning the roles and responsibilities in the family including child nurturing and the husband-wife relation all play a significant role in understanding men’s perspective within a patriarchal culture. A man has to be physically healthy and strong, own strong mental and spiritual abilities, broad knowledge, faith and a firm stance. These characteristics are significant in supporting social functions. Men own a privileged status in society, they function as a bridge between the family and the society and are generally in a superior position. A man is always responsible for success or failure of the family and gets the largest attention from society.
Diverse factors influence this concept of manhood, namely environmental influences and the understanding towards religious texts and cultural idioms which clearly demonstrate how a man has to act in society. A man has to be strong, he has to prove his manhood, he always has to win and he must protect his family. These obligations often lead to internal conflicts because of the discrepancy between the ideal and the actual self which can cause domestic violence against his wife and children.
The key to the problem of domestic violence is located in the patriarchic culture in which concepts of traditional masculinity and superiority are strongly embedded. Violence against women is a complex phenomenon that has deep roots in unequal gender relations. Initiatives to eradicate have to be related with the background of trust and cultural traditions as well as social structures. When standards of manhood fail to be achieved men feel their self esteem is threatened which causes distress and leads to losing control and acting violently to restore their self esteem.
As the society mostly reacts passively because of cultural traditions, cases have been ignored while values in society claim these problems are taboo and do not require any intervention.
To overcome problems of domestic violence as efforts of prevention and recovery men have to be involved. The male involvement becomes an obligation to global social change for the improvement of women’s status. A perpetrator’s approach must be conducted and a strategy considering cultural aspects has to be taken to socialize that domestic violence is a problem not only for women, but also for men. These efforts must be implemented in government units and have to take into account social and religious figures.[]
Writer: Lisa Hallmann, student of Ethnology, Faculty of Behavioral and Cultural Studies, University of Heidelberg, Germany.
On Friday the 21st of August, Rifka Annisa participated in a Fair Day for Non-Governmental Organisations all around Jogja, hosted by the Australian Consortium for In-Country Indonesian Studies (ACICIS). This Fair Day happens every semester, and it’s a great opportunity to meet international students studying in Jogja who might want to volunteer or complete internships with Rifka Annisa.
At the Fair Day, we met quite a few international students interested in working with Rifka Annisa. Melissa McHugh is a development studies student from Perth, on exchange in Indonesia for one semester. She was very interested in learning about Rifka Annisa’s long-term educational and gender development plans.
“This sounds really great, I would definitely like to volunteer some of my time,” Melissa said.
Rifka’s education programs like Rifka Goes to School are part of our development plan to change attitudes around gender and educate teenagers about violence and abuse. The sustainable and continued establishment of more rural women’s crisis centres will also help to support women and give them empowerment to leave abusive relationships. Development studies students, with a particular focus on gender, can be extremely helpful in evolving our long-term program proposals and goals of how to change Indonesians culture to be more equal.
Another student we met at the Fair Day was Kim Tjon-Kon-Fat, a student from the Netherlands who is doing a degree in South-East Asian Studies. “Actually I used to work as a psychiatrist and often had clients who had experienced sexual or domestic violence. So with the South-East Asian context, this is really perfect for me,” she said. Kim has a background in psychological support for victims and survivors of violence, now with her new passion for South-East Asia and learning about the differences of this region compared to Europe and the Netherlands, Kim can combine her skills. The psychological counselling provided by Rifka Annisa is an extremely important part of our women’s crisis centre, as it is often the first thing people seek after they have been abused. To help women overcome their trauma, recover from their abuse and move forwards is essential to our work. We hope more psychology interns will come help Rifka Annisa’s psychological counselling division.
By the end of the day Rifka had met many international students interesting in volunteering for our office in Jogja, and we also got to explain what we do as an organisation. Spreading awareness about our programs, and telling our story as an NGO working in Jogja can help get volunteers, but help people more easily find our services when they need them. Thank you to ACICIS for letting us come to their NGO Fair Day and we hope we can provide lots of international students with internships and volunteer opportunities this semester. []
Author: Bridget Harilaou (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Student intern in the Media and Public Relation Division, Rifka Annisa
The program ‘Rifka Goes To School’ is an initiative by Rifka Annisa to educate school-aged children on violence against women, sexual violence and healthy relationships. On the 6th of August 2015, a team from Rifka visited SMP Pangudi Luhur 1 Yogyakarta, a mixed-gender middle school for children aged between 12 and 15.
In a series of workshops and presentations for children from all year groups, Rifka attempted to introduce the issue of violence against women, coercive or abusive relationships and cyber bullying. These topics are serious and important so that children are able to identify if they ever find themselves in these kinds of violent situations. For the older children, Rifka also encourages them to talk about their dreams for the future, and how to healthily plan for achievable goals. Mental health and healthy relationships are important concepts for teenagers to understand as they begin to have intimate romantic and even sexual relationships.
All the seminars and workshops begin with an explanation of who Rifka Annisa is, and what we do. As a Women’s Crisis Centre in Yogyakarta, Rifka offers counselling, legal and health services for women who have experienced violence. Rifka exists to change the culture around domestic violence and stop violence against women, through education, response services and activism. After explaining our mission and services, the next topic was domestic violence.
Most of the children seemed to have a good understanding of domestic violence, so intimate partner violence became the next focus. Intimate partners such as boyfriends or fiancés can be abusive and coercive to their partners, even if both people feel love for each other. By showing the children videos of an over-controlling and emotionally abusive boyfriend, Rifka was able to ensure these girls would be able to identify abusive behaviour. Things like looking through their phone without permission, restricting their activities such as spending time with friends or talking to other men, and emotionally manipulating them were all identified as abusive behaviour.
Next, Rifka used role-playing between the two presenters of the seminar to give examples of sexual, psychological, physical and economic abuse. Some of the examples include your partner touching you when you do not want to be touched, your partner hitting you in an argument or constantly making you pay for things. This role-play showed in a humorous and interactive way, examples of intimate partner abuse in order for children to become acquainted with what to look out for when they begin having intimate relationships.
Internet safety was the final lesson, particularly in relation to sexual harassment and bullying online. The team showed another video of a girl named Amanda who experienced severe online bullying and sexual harassment. The story of Amanda and how a nude photo of her was used to bully her for years through facebook and online stalking caused serious mental health issues for her. Rifka used this example to discuss anxiety and depression, internet safety, cyber bullying and suicide – as Amanda committed suicide after 5 years of consistent sexual bullying.
"Through this educational program Rifka Goes To School, it is our hope that we can provide early intervention to the issue of gender-based violence, for children of all genders and change the culture that perpetuates violence against women and girls," said Niken Anggrek, one of facilitator. []
Author: Bridget Harilaou (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Student intern in the Media and Public Relation Division, Rifka Annisa
