Problematic Conjugations: Women’s Agency, Marriage and Domestic Violence in Indonesia

Abstract

This paper examines women's experience of domestic violence within marriage in Makassar, South Sulawesi. It analyses the meaning of marriage for men and women, the roles of men and women within marriage, shifts in marriage practices -particularly the shift from arranged to "love" marriage -and unequal gender positions within marriage. We discuss some salient issues in the "margins of marriage" in Indonesia: polygyny and constructions of masculinity that condone the practice of polygyny/affairs, and attitudes towards divorce, particularly for women. We then examine women's perception of the causes and triggers of domestic violence as revealed by fieldwork data, using the lens of women's agency. Our findings are that women perceive that their expressions of agency -for instance in challenging men's authority, moral righteousness and adequacy as breadwinners -are the most common triggers for male violence within marriage. Finally, we discuss the difficulty for women of escaping domestic violence, thereby getting some purchase on the relative capacity of women to resist, deflect or deal with the violence.

Efficacy and Decisional Balance to Intervene

“…The prevalence is so high that even our closest relatives and friends might be a victim right now (Ramakrishnan, 2014). The number has been rising in heavily populated urban areas such as Greater Jakarta or Jabodetabek, especially among teenager in their family, or romantic relationships (Aisyah & Parker, 2014. However, as there are still many unreported cases (Hayati, Hakimi, eriksson, Hogberg, & Emmelin, 2013), it proofs that domestic violence is an iceberg phenomenon, and there are many things to be done.…”

Contesting the Dominant Discourse of Child Sexual Abuse: Sexual Subjects, Agency, and Ethics

“…The first is research on sexual assault in times of crisis and conflict, such as multiple rape cases that occurred during the May 1998 riot (Berfield and Loveard 1998;Marching 2007), after the 2004 tsunami in Aceh (Felten-Biermann 2006), and in conflict areas such as Poso (Perempuan 2009), Aceh (Green 2004), and Papua (Wandita 1998). The second major area of research has focused on sexual violence by intimate partners in marital contexts (e.g., Aisyah and Parker 2014;Bennett et al 2011;Hayati et al 2011). Academic publications on sexual abuse and violence in Indonesia beyond these two areas are considerably rare, particularly child sexual abuse.…”

Social Psychological Interventions to Reduce the Number of Violence against Women in Indonesia

“…From a population of 217 million, 11.4 percent of them (or about 24 million women population), especially in rural areas, confessed that they had experienced violence, and mostly in the form of domestic violence such as assault, rape, abuse, or a cheating husband (Kompas, 27 April 2000, as cited in Windiani, Astuti, Fitriyah, & Hermini, 2013), and it's only a very small amount number compared to what should be reported. During the last three years, approximately 100,000 domestic violence cases were reported; in 2011, a total number of 113,878 cases reported with a record of 97% violence cases committed by husbands (Komnas Perempuan, as cited in Aisyah & Parker, 2014).…”

“…For example, the Makassar women are required to maintain their family honor (siri). If they disclose their husbands' violent attitude then it will destroy the dignity, so that the women will be punished or considered shameful (Aisyah & Parker, 2014). Another example is the Javanese women, that in the same reasons they have to preserve the norm of njaga praja, that is to maintain the honor of husband and family, so that they should keep silent to the public for the violence acts committed by their husbands (Djohan, as cited in Hayati, Eriksson, Hakimi, Högberg, & Emmelin, 2014).…”

“…23, Year 2004, of the Elimination of Domestic Violence (Aisyah & Parker, 2014). Article 1 Paragraph 1 of the Law defines domestic violence as any action against someone especially women which causes misery or suffering in physical, sexual, psychological, and/or negligence of household including threats to commit acts, compulsion or deprivation of liberty which are against the law within the scope of household (Hartono, 2014).…”