Solidaritas Perempuan - Aceh | Violence is not our Culture

Solidaritas Perempuan - Aceh

About

Solidaritas Perempuan (Women’s Solidarity) was established on December 10^th, 1990 with the aim of advocating for gender equality through the promotion of pluralism, anti-violence, ecological awareness, and just principles. In 1993, Solidaritas Perempuan was divided into 14 regional offices spread throughout Indonesia. The Aceh branch has launched a campaign to increase public awareness of the harm caused by the implementation of Shari’ah law, and to encourage policy change. Additionally, SP Aceh advocates the reform of local Shari’ah laws in order to address culturally justified violence. Through lobbying and increasing the capacity of stakeholders, SP Aceh is fighting to increase awareness of some of the harmful aspects of the relationship between religious laws and the rights of women.

Activities

In September of 2009, Qanun Jinayat, or the Islamic Penal Code was passed, which has incorporated physical punishments for various crimes, including stoning to death as a suitable punishment for adultery. SP Aceh has been supporting grassroots activists fighting against the laws. They have also facilitated dialogues between the public and government officials, in order to generate knowledge and create open forums for dialogue. Despite striving to create dialogues and spaces for women, SP Aceh still faces some hardships. Violence against women has increased in the region, with even government officials carrying violent attacks against convicted women. However, SP Aceh continues to evaluate laws, and reviews policies that are potentially harmful to women.

SP Aceh has various activities planned during the 16 Days of Activism against Violence Against Women, as follows:

On November 1^st 2010, SP Aceh opened a Twitter account (@sayanginongaceh), and a WordPress blog (). Sayang Inong Aceh means ‘Love Acehnese Women’. SP Aceh is now developing a blogging strategy and contacting people with gender expertise to fill it with their articles, whilst using Twitter to connect to others.
On November 22nd 2010, SP Aceh conducted a radio talk show to discuss what CVAW is, CVAW in the Aceh context, and how we can stop CVAW.
On November 25th 2010, SP Aceh had a dialogue with government officials. Farid Muttaqien (Unifem) and other networkers were invited to provide their insight in the discussion. The discussion was on the situation of Acehnese women under Shari’ah Law, based on women's experiences. The outcomes of this discussion will be shared through ICTs.
On December 10th 2010, SP Aceh will share information on the relationship between human rights and CVAW in the Aceh context.