Women worldwide take to the streets
March 09, 2006 Edition 1
Jakarta: Thousands of women took to the streets in several countries around the world yesterday for International Women's Day to press for freedom, equal rights and an end to discriminatory laws.
In Jakarta, Indonesia, hundreds of women marched - some to protest against a proposed law that would impose jail terms for kissing in public, others to protest against what they called the unfair application of Islamic law.
In tsunami-ravaged Aceh province, the only part of the predominantly Muslim country to implement Islamic Shariah law, about 1 000 protesters marched to the legislature in the regional capital chanting: "Shariah is not only for women!"
"Some of my friends were detained by the Shariah police just because they wore jeans," said Raihan, 23.
Activists said the so-called "Shariah police" - religious vigilantes who enforce the rules - had been especially heavy-handed towards women caught without traditional Muslim headscarves or walking outside at night unaccompanied by a man.
Dress
Protesters urged parliament to set specific guidelines for female dress.
"Women in tight dresses are not demons or corrupt," one march leader said.
The government in Jakarta imposed Shariah on conservative Aceh in 2003 in an effort to defuse the separatist rebellion there. In the meantime, the war ended with a political accord, and the former rebels say they will abolish the law if they win power as expected in local elections later this year.
In the Indonesian capital, 150 women marched through the streets to protest against a proposed anti-pornography Bill that would make punishable the baring of legs or shoulders in public, or nudity in art.
In addition to forbidding pornography, the Bill calls for prison terms of up to 10 years and fines of up to $100 000 (R620 000) for kissing in public, exposure of a woman's "sensual" body parts and the display of "erotic" artworks.
In Pakistan, about 3 000 people attended a rally yesterday led by a Pakistani woman whose gang rape on the orders of a tribal council triggered an international outcry.
The protesters, most of them women, held placards and banners and cheered Mukhtaran Mai when she appeared on a stage with a dozen other gang-rape victims to mark the day.
"I will continue my struggle to end the oppression of women," Mai, 33, told the crowd.
"I have come here so we can raise our voices together."
Protesters shouted slogans including "Give equal rights to women" and "Treat women with respect".
Local authorities banned them from marching on roads so they held the rally in a park.
Mai was gang-raped on the orders of a tribal council in a village in Punjab province in 2002 as punishment for her brother's alleged affair with a woman from another tribe. The case and Mai's quest to bring her rapists to justice attracted international attention, much to the embarrassment of the Pakistani authorities.
Rallies, walks and seminars were held in various Pakistani cities yesterday to mark the struggle for women's rights.
In Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, a moderate Muslim nation, delegates at a women's conference said that women were making strides in gaining equality, but there was still a long way to go.
They noted that Malaysian women comprised only 10% of corporate board decision-makers in local companies.
In the Philippines, police dispersed a Women's Day march by hundreds of activists calling for President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to be ousted.
In Afghanistan, women had won a range of rights since the hardline Islamic Taliban regime had been ousted, but they were still being oppressed, President Hamid Karzai said yesterday, calling for a campaign to end violence against women. He also called for an end to the practice of giving away women in marriage to settle disputes.
In Sydney, feminist icon Germaine Greer used a function in honour of International Women's Day to urge Australian women to get angry over a "humiliating" advertisement.
The advertisement for Australian car manufacturer Holden featured a man daydreaming about "doing daring things in a four-wheel drive" with a woman who was not his partner, Greer said.
"Why haven't plate-glass windows in Holden showrooms been exploding all over Australia? How much humiliation
are you women up for?" she asked.
A spokesman for Holden said the company had not received any major complaints about the advertisement. - Sapa-AP-AFP
