http://www.thejakartapost.com/detaileditorial.asp? fileid=20060720.E04&irec=3
Changing public's mind-set is key Indraswari, Bandung Tansa Musa's article, Millions of girls suffer 'breast ironing', in the July 7 edition of The Jakarta Post shocked me. Breast ironing adds to the list of harmful practices engaged in by women: the ancient Chinese custom of foot binding, female genital cutting in some African countries and suttee in India -- now very rare -- the act of a Hindu widow willingly being cremated on the funeral pyre of her husband. According to the report, breast ironing is "the use of hard or heated objects or other substances to try to stunt breast growth in girls (which) is a traditional practice in West Africa". It says that in Cameroon one in four teenagers are subjected to the cruel practice by relatives. Three days later, there was an article in the Post on schoolgirls in Makassar, South Sulawesi, being ordered to leave their leg-baring short skirts in the closet to avoid attracting unwelcome attention. While Cameroon and Makassar are millions of miles away and the two cases may not be comparable, both apply the same logic in blaming women for sexual harassment -- generally defined as unwanted and unwelcome behavior of a sexual nature. What lies behind the breast ironing practice are the dominant misleading views that when women are sexually harassed it is because they are too attractive. Such views explain why the cruel practice occurs under the notion to "protect" women from sexual harassment, or rape, by lessening their sexual attractiveness and that the practice is for their own good. In a similar tone, the Makassar mayor as quoted in this paper explicitly stated that the order to don long skirts for female high school students aims to ensure they maintain decent conduct and to prevent inviting sexual harassment. We can only stop sexual harassment from occurring if we make efforts to change people's mind-sets. A campaign to educate the public about sexual harassment should be run by the government. It is a crime for which the perpetrators should be punished. On a practical level, opening up a hot line or a center that receives reports of sexual harassment could be done by the police together with, for instance, local non-governmental organizations. This has been done in some regions, but staffing these facilities with gender-sensitive personnel who can empathize with the victims is imperative. Moreover, law enforcement should be upheld properly to ensure justice. Regardless of such initiatives, however, women will not be protected until perceptions of sexual harassment change. The victims of rape, for instance, include children and elderly women. Sexual harassment occurs not only in public places but at also in th home. The perpetrators are not only strangers but also family members or relatives. Quoting government and media surveys, website Wikipedia estimates 40 to 60 percent of women in the U.S. are sexually harassed in the workplace. The European Women's Lobby reports that between 40 and 50 percent of female employees have experienced some form of sexual harassment or unwanted sexual behavior in the workplace. A 2002 study of students in the eighth through to the 11th grade by the American Association of University Women revealed that 78 percent of girls have been sexually harassed. To my knowledge, there is not yet statistical data on sexual harassment in Indonesia, but this does not mean that we do not need to pay attention to it. In the case of breast ironing -- which may result in one or both breasts "disappearing" -- there is no guarantee that the victims are then free from sexual harassment as the report indicates that the same parents might mutilate other parts of their daughters' bodies, which are seen as attractive to men. In a similar vein, if women are required to cover their legs, the same government officials might instruct women to cover other parts of their bodies. The problem is, even when women are completely covered, sexual harassment still occurs. So sexual harassment is not about women's clothing and their attractiveness to men, it is about unequal power relations. In such a case, it is not only the victims who are dehumanized but the perpetrators, as the latter are considered no more than sexual creatures, devoid of respect for other human beings and unable to control their sexual desires. Both men and women should dress appropriately but if women are not treated with respect, regardless of their dress, we cannot expect to curb sexual harassment. The writer is a lecturer at the Department of Public Administration, School of Social and Political Science, Parahyangan Catholic University. She can be reached at [EMAIL PROTECTED] ------------------------ Yahoo! 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