With new-found confidence, she became the head of the discussion group.
#MS CLEAN ACTION INDONESIA HOW TO#
In a discussion group organized in her village, she learned how to negotiate with her husband on property and income decisions. Amin heard that both husband and wife should be caregivers and both should be allowed to work and to make decisions in the household. In a workshop organized by the project, Ms. People around me also said, it is taught by Islam,” Ms. “ At first I thought that women must obey men because that was taught by my mother and grandmother. Amin thought, were just to protect them from harassment. Until she became involved in the project, Mardhiah Amin, 38, of Meunasah Mesjid in Aceh, did not see a problem with sharia, or Islamic law, which is formally established in the province. In Indonesia, the project areas were Aceh, Makassar, Mataram and Yogyakarta. While working in their respective countries, AWARE and SP collaborated on activities such as curriculum development and workshops on extremism.
The three-year project, from October 2013 to September 2016, was funded by UN Women’s Fund for Gender Equality, which also provided technical support. Two civil society groups, Association of Women for Action & Research (AWARE) in Singapore and Solidaritas Perempuan (SP – Women’s Solidarity) based in Jakarta, Indonesia, worked to reclaim women’s rights from these ideologues through awareness-raising and advocacy in a project called Gender Equality Is Our Culture. The result: more and more laws and policies aimed at confining women to their homes. In Singapore and Indonesia, these ideas are being increasingly espoused by Muslim fundamentalists and by politicians currying favour with conservativegroups. “Gender equality” is a heresy imposed by Westerners and rogue clerics, they say. They tell women not go out at night, and not to wear short skirts - if you are sexually assaulted, it is your fault. Jakarta, Indonesia/Singapore - The ideologues say men are the bosses of the household and women should just keep it clean and take care of the children. Authors: Association of Women for Action & Research (AWARE) and Solidaritas Perempuan (SP)