Memory about the Body
My experience was not as dramatic as Larsson, who witnessed a heinous crime, but it also shows how vulnerable girls are to this type of crime.
He once witnessed a young girl being raped at a campsite. At that time, he was also a teenager and lived in Umea, a city in northeastern Sweden. Some of the perpetrators were his friends. Throughout his life he regretted being unable to prevent the crime.
My experience was not as dramatic as Larsson, who witnessed a heinous crime, but it also shows how vulnerable girls are to this type of crime.
One day, during my middle school years, my friends and I went to the beach to spend an academic year holiday. A teacher joined the vacation. We asked him because he was close of the students, just like friend to us. Suddenly, a female friend excused herself to leave for a while to accompany our teacher somewhere. No one paid attention to them. Everyone enjoyed the recreation.
My friend was a cheerful teenager, but she turned gloomy after our beach trip. As the years passed, I finally heard that she was sexually abused by our teacher. Her case was not reported to the police. In some cases, the victims are blamed and even accused of the crime and if she becomes pregnant, she will be married off to the perpetrator. She is the victim of a rape and a victim of forced marriage.
The position of the perpetrator and the victim is not equal in terms of power relations.
A number of cases of sexual violence involve perpetrators who are respected by the victims or are their role models: teachers, lecturers, superiors, religious or community leaders and public officials. The position of the perpetrator and the victim is not equal in terms of power relations. This allows the perpetrators to commit their actions because they are protected by the authorities.
The friend of mine was afraid of being scolded by her parents, so she chose to keep the experience that continues to haunt her a secret. She was sexually assaulted and was the victim of an attempted rape as a teenager. Ten years after the incident she tried to seek legal justice to prosecute the perpetrator. She still experiences frequent bouts of severe mental distress whenever she is reminded of the event, even by small and insignificant things.
She visited the office of a legal aid agency last year. However, the lawyers needed evidence that can be used to report her case. She didn\'t have enough evidence. The perpetrator was known to the public and carried out philanthropic activities, so she felt her own circle of supporters was not strong enough. If not careful, she could be charged with defamation. She also needed professional help to heal the trauma.
According to World Health Organization data, one in three women in the world has experienced sexual violence. One in two women have been victims of violence, including experiencing sexual violence, as a teenager.
Extreme eating
Even traumatic experiences can have an extreme impact on a person\'s diet. Food is not enjoyed, but becomes part of the pain diversion.
Several years ago, I went to a health clinic in Jakarta to consult a doctor there about obesity. The doctor presented the results of research which stated that obesity originated from the human brain. The doctor then develops treatment through diet and mindset regulations.
The triggers of obesity are apparently various. One of the patients ate uncontrollably due to trauma: she was raped by her father and witnessed her mother being killed.
Four years ago, we were shocked by the rape of a junior high school student in Kasie Kasubun village, Bengkulu. She was 14 years old, raped by 14 men of various ages on 2 April 2016. Her body was then thrown off a cliff.
The disagreement among the factions in the House of Representatives regarding the title, definition and rules of punishment was used as the reason for its elimination.
This case has strengthened the determination of various groups and women activists to demand the government pass a bill on the Elimination of Sexual Violence (RUU PKS). However, in July 2020, the PKS bill was even removed from the National Legislation Program (Prolegnas). The disagreement among the factions in the House of Representatives regarding the title, definition and rules of punishment was used as the reason for its elimination.
In contrast to the Criminal Code, which places the victims as witnesses or the objects of the case, the PKS bill makes the victim a subject whose rights are legally protected. The decision to drop the PKS bill from Prolegnas took place at a time when the number of cases is increasing.
Komnas Perempuan reported that this year there have been 431,471 cases of violence against women, higher than last year\'s 406,178 cases. A total of 4,898 cases were cases of sexual violence. Violence against girls, which amounted to 1,417 cases in the previous year, increased to 2,341 cases this year.
Of the 2,341 cases, 571 were cases of child sexual violence, an increase of 65 percent from the previous year. Sexual violence against women with disabilities also increased by 47 percent compared to last year.
Sexual violence includes sexual harassment, forced marriage, forced contraception, rape, forced abortion, sexual exploitation, forced prostitution, sexual slavery and sexual torture.
We certainly will never forget the case of a female student who was raped by a poet who was quite well known a few years ago. This case has also become important in the struggle for fair enforcement of the law and women\'s human rights. On 29 November 2013, this student reported the perpetrator to the police.
Even though the legal process has not been fully implemented, declaring the status of the perpetrator as a suspect can be considered a step forward given the serious challenges and obstacles she (the victim) was facing as well as the various groups who supported him (the perpetrator). On the other hand, this fact shows that even such a large amount of support has not been able to push the case further. The suspect has not yet been brought trial.
Linda Christanty, writer and cultural activist