The Role of Grassroot Women Advocacy in Indonesia’s Human Rights Framework

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This study raises question on how Indonesia has succeeded in strengthening women's rights within the framework of human rights since the 1998 Reformation era, highlighting the strategic role of women's civil society organizations at the grassroots level. This research addresses how community-based women’s organizations in after 1998 have mobilized to claim rights, influence policy, and challenge discriminatory practices. Methodologically, the study employs a qualitative case study approach, drawing on document analysis and secondary data, including reports from women’s advocacy networks, government legislation, and rights-monitoring institutions. In the context of post-New Order democratization, the country has ratified various international human rights instruments such as the ICCPR, ICESCR, and CEDAW, and adopted these commitments into the 1945 Constitution and Law Number 39 of 1999 on Human Rights. The research finds that these organizations have played a transformative role in several key areas: political participation, by supporting women’s leadership and advocating for gender quotas in legislative bodies; economic empowerment, through community-based livelihoods programs and support for women workers; social rights, by expanding access to education, health, and reproductive services; and legal reform, through campaigns that led to significant legislative changes, such as raising the minimum age of marriage for girls and passing laws against domestic and sexual violence. These findings suggest that strengthening women's rights in Indonesia does not solely depend on formal regulations from the state, but also on the collective strength of civil society in translating human rights norms into contextual and community-based practices.

국문 초록 (Abstract)

이 연구는 1998년 인도네시아 개혁 시대 이후 인권 틀 내에서 여성의 권리가 어떻게 강화되었는지를 질문하며, 특히 풀뿌리 수준의 여성 시민사회 단체들의 전략적 역할에 주목한다. 본 연구는 1998년 이후 지역 기반의 여성 단체들이 권리를 주장하고, 정책에 영향을 미치며, 차별적 관행에 도전해온 과정을 다룬다. 방법론적으로는 여성 인권 단체 보고서, 정부 입법 문서, 권리 모니터링 기관의 자료 등을 포함한 문서 분석과 이차 자료를 활용한 질적 사례 연구를 채택하였다. 신질서 체제 이후 민주화 과정에서 인도네시아는 ICCPR, ICESCR, CEDAW 등 주요 국제 인권 조약을 비준하였고, 이를 1945년 헌법과 1999년 인권법 제39호에 반영하였다. 연구 결과에 따르면, 이러한 여성 단체들은 여성의 정치적 참여 확대(여성 리더십 지원 및 의회 내 성별 할당제 옹호), 경제적 역량 강화(지역 생계 프로그램과 여성 노동자 지원), 사회권(교육, 건강, 재생산 서비스 접근성 확대), 법 개혁(혼인 가능 연령 상향, 성폭력 방지법 제정 등) 등의 핵심 영역에서 변혁적 역할을 수행하였다. 이러한 결과는 인도네시아에서 여성의 권리 강화를 위한 진전이 단순히 국가의 공식적 제도에 의존하는 것이 아니라, 인권 규범을 맥락화하고 지역사회에 맞게 실천으로 전환하는 시민사회의 집단적 역량에 기반하고 있음을 보여준다.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• I. INTRODUCTION 1
• II. LITERATURE REVIEW 6
• A. DEMOCRATIZATION AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS 7
• B. THE ROLE OF LEGAL REFORM IN ADVANCING WOMEN'S RIGHTS 11
• C. CONCLUSION 14
• III. METHODOLOGY AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 16
• A. METHODOLOGY 16
• B. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 16
• 1. Civil Society 17
• IV. CONTEXTUALIZING WOMEN'S RIGHT IN INDONESIA'S NEW ORDER AND REFORM ERA 23
• A. WOMEN RIGHTS IN INDONESIA IN PRE-1998 (NEW ORDER ERA) 23
• 1. Women's Political Rights 23
• 2. Women's Economic Rights 26
• 3. Women's Education Rights 26
• 4. Women's Health Rights 27
• 5. Legal Framework and Protection of Women's Rights 27
• B. WOMEN RIGHTS IN INDONESIA IN POST-1998 (REFORM ERA) 28
• 1. Women's Political Rights 28
• 2. Women's Economic Rights 30
• 3. Women's Education Rights 31
• 4. Women's Health Rights 31
• 5. Legal Framework and Protection of Women's Rights 32
• C. HUMAN RIGHTS FRAMEWORK IN INDONESIA 33
• D. CONCLUSION 37
• V. EMPIRICAL PERSPECTIVES ON INDONESIA WOMEN'S CIVIL SOCIETY GRASSROOTS ADVOCACY 39
• A. CIVIL SOCIETY AFTER REFORM: CREATING A RIGHTS-BASED DEMOCRATIC SPACE 39
• B. GRASSROOTS WOMEN'S ADVOCACY EMERGED AFTER REFORM 41
• C. WOMEN GRASSROOT ADVOCACY IN STRENGTHENING WOMEN RIGHTS INDONESIA 43
• 1. Political Empowerment and Women Participation in Decision Making 43
• 2. Women's Empowerment and Economic Rights 46
• 3. Expanding Social Rights (Education, Health and Reproductive Rights) 49
• 4. Legal Reforms and Protection from Violence 54
• 5. Amendment to the Marriage Law 58
• 6. Conclusion: From Grassroots to Strengthen Women Rights 59
• VI. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION 61
• A. CONCLUSION 61
• B. RECOMMENDATION AND LIMITATION 62
• BIBLIOGRAPHY 64