Mother\'s Day and the New Order

Kompas/Wawan H Prabowo

Workers and students commemorate International Women\'s Day by demonstrating in front of the DPR RI Building in Senayan, Jakarta, Monday (9/3/2020).

Mother\'s Day 2020 provides an opportunity to build a more equal, fair and better order for women through Covid-19.

Every December 22, we celebrate Mother\'s Day. To commemorate the event this year, the government took the theme "Empowered Women, Advanced Indonesia," which illustrates the true meaning of Mother\'s Day, namely to mark the birth of the Indonesian women\'s movement.

We want the government through the Women\'s Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry this time to rectify the common misconception in society that interprets Mother\'s Day as the one usually celebrated in Western culture. While we appreciate efforts to continue to remember and repay mother’s services in the family, the Mother\'s Day that we celebrate has a broader and more comprehensive meaning to improve the condition of women and girls.

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On December 22, 1928, for the first time, women\'s organizations gathered in Yogyakarta. Even though it was called a national congress, almost all the delegates who attended came from women\'s organizations in Java; there was one representative from Sumatra. Another thing to note is that this congress was attended by representatives of youth organizations and received positive responses from national figures, opinion writers in newspapers as well as officials of the Dutch East Indies Government. The women present saw themselves as Indonesians [Susan Blackburn, Kongres Perempuan Pertama, Tinjauan Ulang (First Women\'s Congress, Review), 2007].

Previously, on October 22, 1928, youth organizations from a number of regions took the Youth Pledge, which declared one homeland, one nation and one language, namely Indonesia. This national stance also characterized the Women\'s Congress in 1928, so the language used by the congress participants was Indonesian, although not all were competent in using it.

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DISPENAU

Letda Pnb Ajeng Tresna Dwi Wijayanti, S.Tr. (Han), an AAU graduate officer in 2018, the first female fighter pilot in the Indonesian Air Force.

We know what was discussed at the congress, namely the situation of women who experienced discrimination and violence. Child marriage was common, polygamy was very easy to do, forced marriage and arbitrary divorce against women occurred. Issues of education for girls, reproductive health rights and women\'s economic condition were also discussed.

The agreement to make December 22 a milestone in the birth of the women\'s movement was conveyed at the Third Women\'s Congress in Bandung in 1938. President Sukarno made it a national memorial day through Presidential Decree No. 316 of 1959.

The relevance of Mother\'s Day in light of the current conditions of Indonesian women is not difficult to find. What was fought for in the Women\'s Congress is still not finished and must continue to be fought for.

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A lot of progress has been achieved by women. In principle, the government supports the elimination of discrimination and the promotion of positions and roles for women, including through the issuance of Presidential Instruction Number 9 of 2000 on gender mainstreaming in national development. This presidential instruction directs gender mainstreaming in the entire development process at the central and regional levels.

Indonesia has also ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) through Law Number 7 of 1984. Indonesia is also committed to the Sustainable Development Goals to eliminate poverty, and one of its principles is to eliminate gender-based discrimination and violence in its 17 objectives.

KOMPAS/RIZA FATHONI

PT Kereta Commuter Indonesia (KCI) is holding a campaign to prevent sexual harassment that often occurs on commuter line trains. The campaign to commemorate International Women\'s Day on March 8 was held at Sudirman Station, Central Jakarta, Tuesday (12/3/2019).

Data show that the position of girls is better than that of boys in the Indonesian Human Capital Index as recorded by the World Bank. This index measures the accumulation of health and education services a child receives from birth. However, this does not guarantee that girls will have equal opportunities with boys in the world of work when they reach the age of 18. Statistics Indonesia (BPS) records show that the male labor force participation rate is in the range of 82-83 percent, while that of women is 51-53 percent.

The Covid-19 pandemic has increased women\'s vulnerability in various ways. From an economic perspective, women are at risk of losing their jobs, because many work in fields that are severely affected by the pandemic, namely the sectors of accommodation and food and beverage services. In August 2020, the average wage for male workers was Rp 2.98 million and that for female workers was Rp 2.35 million. Also, more women work in the informal, nonagricultural sector or as part-time workers. Outside of Jakarta, more than 50 percent of women do not use information technology.

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Social restrictions due to the pandemic increase the burden on women who are socially constructed as caretakers of the family and home. BPS data shows that two out of five women who work and take care of the household also have elementary school children who are currently attending school. Violence against women has increased during the pandemic, the National Commission on Violence Against Women notes. The number of child marriages has increased even though the age limit for marrying girls has been amended by Law Number 16 of 2019 on the amendment of Law Number 1 of 1974 on marriage to 19 years.

Data show that the position of girls is better than that of boys in the Indonesian Human Capital Index as recorded by the World Bank.

Gender inequality appears even greater if assessed through the Beijing+20 Platform with 12 priority areas, namely women and the environment, women and poverty, economy, education, health, violence, conflict areas, strategic decision making, institutional mechanisms, human rights, women and media, and girls. Women are also faced with submission through conservatism and religious fundamentalism, which even drag women into terrorism.

The pandemic invites humanity to change towards a new life order that is fairer and equal. This year\'s Mother\'s Day celebration should be a moment to raise awareness of all stakeholders about the importance of eliminating discrimination and violence against women. Women constitute half of the population, and providing women with fair and equal opportunities through decisions by strategic institutions will improve the welfare and prosperity of the nation.