With the presidential election only a week away, advocates for women’s rights in Indonesia met on June 23 to discuss how to push gender issues onto the agenda. Although Indonesia has made strides in recent years to protect women’s rights with international and national legislation, activists contest that much still needs to be done to achieve true equality. Moreover, none of the three presidential candidates have addressed women-specific issues in their campaigns. 

The June 23 summit yielded a document outlining a 100-day and 5-year plan to advance policies promoting gender parity. A copy will be sent to all three presidential candidates with the expectation that the provisions will be included in the new government’s agenda. The new policies include eliminating or amending existing discriminatory legislation, such as the 1974 Marriage Law, which places the wife at a subservient status to the husband. Also discussed were suggested improvements to the education and business sectors, a desire to see increased representation for women in government, budgetary allowances for women’s issues such as reproductive health and violence against women, and participation in public debate.

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