Rifka Annisa in collaboration with UNFPA conducted a study in three NTT (East Nusa Tenggara) districts (Alor, Manggarai, TTS), one city (Kupang), and four districts in Papua (Jayapura, Keerom, Jayawijaya, Merauke). This research was conducted in August 2011 for approximately twenty days. The agencies involved in this study included the police (personnel, police stations, police offices), the Centre for Women and Children’s Services, NGOs, marriage counseling and divorce settlement bodies, Organization for Religion, health centres, hospitals, Organization for Social Development and Children’s Health, and each province’s office of marriage regulations. The results have been positive, for the efforts have helped in execution of preferred family and customary laws by victims and local service agencies. Unfortunately there has not yet been a mechanism set in place to assist with the application of customary law into positive law enforcement protocol. Policymaking efforts are weak in addressing violence against women and children. In some areas, women's empowerment organizations have still not incorporated certain policies and therefore negatively influence coordination efforts. Conclusions drawn from this study emphasize the importance of building inter-agency synergy between existing services and organizations in order to provide the necessary resources and facilities for victims.
Rifka Annisa worked in cooperation with UN Women and Partner for Prevention (P4P) Bangkok in order to conduct research in three cities – Jakarta, Purworejo, and Jayapura – in 2012. This study was conducted to explore the life experiences of men pertaining to violence, their lives, and their health. Similar studies on the perspective of men remain rare despite their importance. The study recruited 800 male respondents from each region between the ages of 19 and 48. The questionnaire was derived from the IMAGES (International Men and Gender Equality Survey), the WHO multi-country study on women's health and domestic violence against women, the Norwegian study on gender equality and quality of life, and the South African Study of Men, masculinities, violence, and HIV. The questionnaire was designed to collect a wealth of information about childhood experiences, attitudes about relationships between men and women, intimate relationships, fatherhood, health and welfare, and policy. The results of this study were released on November 2013. Excerpts of the research results were disseminated after the event.
Rifka Annisa is working with three partners under the UN Trust Fund and other programs (KKTGA – the Working Group for Gender Transformation – in Aceh, LBH – Legal Aid – in Jakarta, and LBHP2I – Legal Aid and Resources for Women in Indonesia in Makassar) to conduct research and gather preliminary data. The workshop took place during 20-31 May 2013, discussing Integration Act No. 23 (2004) about domestic violence and Act No. 23 (2002) about the protection of children in Islamic marriage institutions (judiciary religion, Office of Religious Affairs, Marriage Counseling and Divorce Settlement Bodies). This study uses several methods of analysis in examining the results of court decisions. These methods include interviewing clients within the religious court system regarding the services provided to women victims, institutional providers, and courses for women victims and prospective brides and grooms (suscatin). Additionally, a questionnaire was distributed in various communities in four cities (Aceh, Jakarta, Gunung Kidul, and Makassar).
Results of this study suggested that around 50% of assisted teens in Makassar and 67% of those in Jakarta claim to have greater knowledge about domestic violence having read articles and leaflets than those who have attended training seminars. Knowledge regarding laws against interpersonal violence was also examined. Approximately 54% of participants in Aceh, 77% in Jakarta, 65% in Makassar, and 92% in Gunung Kidul reported that they believed withholdingnafkah, an allowance for household expenditure, from one’s partner—usually the wife—equates to domestic abuse. Suscatin, an educational program designed to prepare people with plans for marriage, is conducted through a series of lectures and informal discussions. One of the highlights of the research was the discovery that this educational practice is carried out both before and after the marriage ceremony. Courses and consultations after the wedding are done informally, at the initiative of the client and the officials from the Office of Religious Affairs. Pre-marriage counseling can be arranged via SMS or direct phone call to the Office of Religious Affairs. Instances of divorce registered by a wife against her husband (74%) were much higher than divorce registered by a husband against his wife (26%). Most of those cases registered by a wife were decided verstek (74%), meaning without the presence of her husband.
Rifka Annisa in collaboration with GTZ conducted a study on Yogyakarta print media released during the months from July to October in 2011. This study examined many publications, including those of Kedaulatan Rakyat and Radar Jogja on women and children’s rights. During those that three month period, there were 223 articles published in Kedaulatan Rakyat and 174 published in Radar Jogja relating to the aforementioned issues.
These articles dominated mainstream news outlets, tallying numbers of 317 articles, 56 feature reports, 23 external opinion articles, and 1 major news headline. In general, the two publications supported gender equality. Of 220 reports, 128 articles were in support of gender equality, 73 took a neutral stance, 15 supported inequality, and 4 were deemed unclear in position.
There is a clear correlation between the type of news being shared and the media bias with regards to gender equality issues. These articles dominated the mainstream news considering the 174 reports, 31 news features, and 15 external opinion articles.
