WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY:
ACHEH (INDONESIA)

"The armed conflict in Aceh must be brought to an end - by whatever means. And women must be included in that peace process. This is not only because women constitute 53% of Aceh's population. It is because women have suffered grievously throughout this conflict. As citizens, they have suffered at the hands of the state, having been raped and abused by the Indonesian army. Culturally, they have been repressed by patriarchy […] Even at home, they have faced domestic violence, being beaten and raped by their husbands. Women must be included in any decision making process. Data from the provincial government shows there are no fewer than 460,000 female heads of households, of whom 377,000 are widows. Women are organising for peace. They are praying, marching in the streets, distributing flowers and the message 'stop violence against women'. Women have held discussions with President Gus Dur and even with the army. They have also proposed to the commander of the Aceh Freedom Movement army that a special zone of peace for women should be set up. They have taken their campaign to the United Nations. With the cease-fire arranged in May this year, there are new hopes for peace. But there is no peace yet in Aceh. Violence continues, from both the Indonesian army and GAM. New sweeps as the army searches for GAM members are starting a fresh movement of refugees in East Aceh. Women want all weapons to cease fire, whether they belong to the Indonesian army or to the soldiers of GAM. We hope that the current agreement between the combatants for a humanitarian cessation of hostilities is not just rhetoric for the Indonesian army and Aceh Freedom Movement."

Suraiya Kamaruzzaman is executive director of Flower Aceh 2000

"Women have given us, men, an example of how to solve differing opinions in a democratic manner"

Dr. Gde Ismail, historian of the Syah Kuala University in Banda Aceh, 2000

"The Achenese women put their lives at stake in order to hold a meeting to discuss their views of what security means. Their courage speaks of their firm belief that women's equal participation in democracy is essential to peace and security. To listen to those voices, which in many places are still forgotten or silenced, is most important in redefining ways to secure life. Despite all the risk and problems, international and cross the boundaries networking and alliances must be maintain to keep these voices from being silenced. The story of the Aceh Women is far yet from being a success story. In order to make it into one, more strategic alliances must be made, across national, cultural and gender boundaries. The most difficult task is to gather these alliances in the face of the strong resistance of the patriarchal biases that desired to keep the voices from being heard. How this is to be done remains a challenge that the participants of this Okinawa conference has decided to meet, because in such solidarity lies the key to offer a more humane version of security, in which, one's security is not the other's insecurity but every human being's life guarantee"

Melani Budianta, 2000