Protection for girls in traditional communities from sexual violence is very minimal, making them vulnerable to becoming victims.
The following article was translated using both Microsoft Azure Open AI and Google Translation AI. The original article can be found inThe atmosphere around a uma, a traditional Mentawai house, is idyllic in Buttui Hamlet, Madobag Village, South Siberut District, Mentawai Islands, West Sumatra, at the end of July 2022.
However, the absence of parental supervision makes children vulnerable to violence. This is especially true for girls who are vulnerable to becoming victims of rape and otherElementary school children walk along the newly opened Trans-Mentawai Road in Buttui Hamlet, Madobag Village, heading towards SD 24 Madobag in South Siberut District, Mentawai Islands, West Sumatra, at the end of July 2022.
Mentawai has become one of the targets of the Estungkara Program from the Indonesian Partnership in indigenous areas in Indonesia. In an ethnographic study for about three months , several girls in Malancan became victims of rape by their own relatives while their parents were working in the fields/plantations.For example, the story of K , a girl with disabilities who was raped by her relative, namely G , who is the grandfather of her tribe.
The culprit is difficult to be brought to justice. G, besides being the leader of the victim's tribe, also holds a high social position as a community, religious, and adat leader. G is also a sikirei . "There is a very visible change in the livelihoods of the Mentawai people in the past and now," said Santi.In the past, the Mentawai people hunted and gathered and lived in harmony. However, at present, they have to work hard in the fields, gardens, planting rice, and so on.
Therefore, even though customary law in Mentawai has been formalized into local regulations, these rules are almost never used to resolve cases of sexual violence. As a result, cases of sexual violence continue to occur.Executive Director of Kemitraan Indonesia, Laode M Syarif, hopes that the findings from the study will move the hearts of all parties, especially the government, to improve policies on the protection of children, women, and indigenous communities in Indonesia.