Larissa Ranft
Intern in Public Relation and Media Division Rifka Annisa
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I was very excited to be involved in the training session held by Rifka Annisa. The training took a theme of “The Role of the Community in the Prevention of Domestic Violence against Women and Children in Gunungkidul”. The training which took place in Djoglo Samiaji, Wonosari on the 17th and 18th of September, was held with the purpose to learn and discuss about the role of the community in the fight against domestic violence. The group of participants consisted of twelve men and seven women, including two tutors who conducted the training session.
In the beginning of the training session, all of the attendees had the chance to get to know each other, and to talk about their exceptions and hopes regarding the agenda. In the following, the attendees put forward their personal opinions and ideas concerning the word 'gender': What are the differences between the 'biological sex' and the 'social sex' (gender) in a society? Based on this, the attendees collected characteristics and examples of gender inequality in society. Hence, the participants learned about gender inequality on different levels, such as: Marginalization and Subordination of Women, Violence against Women, Stereotyping, and Double Burden for Women in Society. Both of the tutors explained each of the named fields in detail and provided various examples. Based on this, a discussion followed in the group concerning the different roles and tasks of men and women in society.
Thus, besides discussing the influence of culture on the social roles of men and women and prevailing inequality between the sexes, the participants could also reflect on their own opinions regarding roles and responsibilities of men and women, as well as husband and wife. As a result of this discussion, it could be discovered that there is still a wide public opinion, which sees men as “the head of the family” and women as “the main care-taker of children and household”. A husband might “help” his wife in the household and with the children, but the main responsibility still lies with the wife. In the following, the participants dealt with the question of how a “head of the family” has to behave, which characteristics does she or he has to combine? Besides this, all participants agreed that the task as “being the leader of the family” is not an easy one. Many of the attendees agreed upon the fact that both, the husband and the wife, have to take all decisions together about all things that concern the household and the family. The most important thing is a good communication between the husband and the wife: Both spouses should try to imagine themselves in the position of one another, and both of them should do the same work and share all responsibilities inside and outside the household.
On the second day of the training session the tutors provided information and material about the issue of “gender biased violence” and its relation to authoritative power structures in a patriarchal society. As a result of the patriarchal system, wives are being placed beneath (their) husbands, as well as women are being placed beneath men. Moreover, the participants were taught about the structure of an “ecological framework”, which consists of five different circles: the individual, family and personal relationships, community, state and societal structures, international and global structures. All fields are influenced by each other. In the following, the group discussed various reasons why violence against women and children happens. Together with the tutors, the participants developed and discussed ways and methods to prevent the occurrence of violence against women and children and the role of the community in this. (*)
