On July 6, yesterday, the Indonesia Minister of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection – Professor Yohana Yembise revealed that Papua province ranked first in cases of domestic violence. She stated that the main trigger for this violence in Papua is the high consumption of alcoholic liquor. Cases of violence against children in Papua reached 3,250 cases, while the rate of domestic violence against women is quite high compared to other regions in Indonesia. Three days before Suara Pembaruan Online reported that violence against women and children in Papua has increased sharply every year since 2010 until 2014 as stated by Levina Kalansina Sawaki – the sub division Head of Violence and Social Issues Against Children of Papua province.
Multi-layered Violence against Papua Women
On March 2015, ELSHAM Papua Institute released data which stated that the violence experienced by women of Papua, is not just cases of domestic violence. Beyond that, the violence by military personnels in Papua has greater impact on women both directly and indirectly. There were 389 cases of military violence, with details of 234 people killed, 854 people were injured, and 880 people were arrested – according to data ELSHAM Papua within 2012-2014. Directly, Papua women experiencing rape, torture, detention, and murder. Indirectly, they were abused emotionally and psychologically because their husbands and sons were arrested or killed, making them the breadwinners of their families and put them in an endless cycle of poverty.
Indonesian security forces have been standing side by side with the foreign corporations in order to dredge Papua’s natural wealth and to seize the land belonging to the people of Papua. Freeport-McMoRan Inc has seized the lands of Amungme tribe for nearly half a century. Women in the indigenous territory of Anim-Ha (Merauke) have been evicted of their lands, sago villages, rivers, and animals, because their ancestral lands was seized by the state for the giant project of MIFEE (Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate). Women in indigenous territory of Mamberamo-Tami (Keerom, Jayapura) have also lost their lands, sago villages, as well as the forest that was a resource of meats and genemo vegetables, because of the seizure by the state that transformed them into millions of acres of oil palm plantations owned by Sinar Mas Tbk (National of Papua Solidarity – NAPAS, 2013).
Indeed, women of Papua are only victims of multi-layered and systemic violence in Papua, which are derived from three main layers: The first layer comes from broken families and society in Papua, which have been poisoned by the values of secular capitalist that nurtures a liberal and self-gratifying culture where the pursuit of selfish pleasures prevails, so it is natural that alcohol is often cited as the main factors causing the occurrence of violence against women in Papua. All of that due to liberal mind-set of pursuing selfish desires, regardless of the consequence upon others which often degrades Papua women and children. Second layer is the incompetence of Indonesia government, who makes flawed economic policy by handing over Papua’s natural wealth to foreign private corporations, which led to vast poverty in Papua and shoved the women to fall in the abyss of exploitation and mass violence. Similarly, the absence of wealth distribution for Papua people in their own lands – to develop and promote Papua as well as improve the living standards for the people of Papua – has ignited demands of the people of Papua of their own self-determination due to the tyranny and injustice against them. Third layer is the western subjection over Papua lands, which have been eyeing Papua’s natural wealth and caused thousands of women of Papua to be victims of a Western geopolitical game in the eastern part of Indonesia. Many Papua women lost their husbands and families due to the prolonged conflict and military operations there. The West has been trying to separate Papua from Indonesia by riding the separatist movements in Papua, playing the issue of ethnic and cultural differences, and strengthening the cooperation of Melanesian ethnic countries in the Pacific. The separatism efforts have been carried out through three elements, i.e. armed movements, diplomatic, and political ways. And these are in line with their efforts to weaken the Muslim countries like Indonesia, also in line with their efforts to dredge the natural wealth from Papua through Freeport.
Islam Will Eliminate Violence from the Innermost Layer
Only Islam alone has the noble values and is fully responsible to keep the honor of women, even obliging men to sacrifice their lives to defend the honor of women. And only Allah’s system alone, the Khilafah, offers a clear strategy to protect the honor of women among society through the values and laws of Islam which are complementary in achieving this goal. Khilafah is a state that rejects the principles of capitalism and liberal, conversely echoes the values of piety and the Islamic view of women through the education, media, and politics systems, as the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:
«إنما النساء شقائق الرجال ما أكرمهن إلا كريم وما أهانهن إلا لئيم»
“Women are siblings of men. Only an honorable man treats women with honor and integrity. And only a mean man humiliates women.”
In terms of economic and wealth management, the Khilafah stipulates that the natural resources deposits are abundant such as copper and gold mines in Papua, currently controlled by Freeport, are defined as the common property of all people without exception. That resource should not be authorized or given to the private sector especially foreign private. That wealth must be managed by the state representing the people and the overall result is returned to the people, including in the form of various services to the people including the women.
In terms of treatment to the people, Islam obliges authorities to be fair to all the people even to all mankind. In the Islamic system there should be no discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, nationality, race, color, religion, group and so in terms of service delivery and the fulfillment of rights of the people. Islam also forbids any perspective, standards and criteria on the basis of race, ethnicity, race, skin color and other sectarian standards. Islamic views it as haram and abhorrent. Foreign intervention must also be rejected and terminated, as well as all forms of separatist movements that will separate Papua from Indonesia. In the view of Islam, the separation of a territory from Muslim land is haram (forbidden).
So, solving the problem of Papua women is by eliminating injustice and cruelty that occurs to women since the innermost layer; building a strong and healthy society by strengthening family building and social devotion by promoting Islamic values, then actuating a competent state which is capable of managing the wealth of the country for the prosperity and welfare of the people; distributing wealth evenly and justly; giving justice to all without discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, race, religion, group and other sectarian perspective and criteria. Also by realizing a strong sovereign state – an independent and foremost state that will reject any form of foreign intervention that threatens the country’s sovereignty, a government which wholeheartedly acts as a ra’in – regulator and guardian of the affairs and welfare of the people. All of that can only be brought into reality through the total implementation of the Islamic system under the frame of Islamic state, namely al-Khilafah Rashidah on the method of the Prophethood.
Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir
Fika Komara
Member of the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir