Hoesein, A. Azis

Surjadi, Erna

Universitas Terbuka Repository

BUILDING INTEGRATED MOVEMENT OF WOMENORGANIZATIONS FOR WOMEN EMPOWERMENT ININDONESIA THROUGH PRACTICAL SESSION OFDISTANCE LEARNING(Sample Case of self-study in Basic Concepts for Gender Mainstreaming via Website and CDROM)By:Ir.A.Azis Hoesein M.Eng.Sc.DiplHE, Drg.Erna Surjadi MS.APBI, PhDThe Ministry of Women Empowerment Republic of IndonesiaEmail: azis@menegpp.go.id;sim-rum@lycos.comAbstracts:Key words:Integrated movements, women empowerment, communication networks, distance learning, alliances,practical session, socialization, community participationThe movement of women empowerment has been announced for decades. Worldhas noted history of International Women’s Day which celebrated on March every yearby many countries in the world to show how women’ progress in a certain country toreach the advancement. Since Beijing conference 1995, the platform for action, namelyBPFA, then all countries in the world would following the platform to evaluate theprogress using the BPFA such as 12 area of interest.One of the areas that showed very important is women machinery. One of six missions ofwomen empowerment in Indonesia is to increase the self-development and progress ofwomen organization in Indonesia. There are more than 1300 organizations distributedover provinces, islands and regions. To create integrated movements that becominggreater driving forces to communities, we need to do advocacy, consolidation,coordination and facilitation.On the other hand, limitation of resources, such as financial, personnel, material as wellas time has made the movements run slowly, sporadic and less powerful to change thecommunities into gender perspectives. These organizations are distributed over 32provinces, 425 districts in Indonesia that consist of 5 big islands and about 14513 smallislands.To achieve all progress of every issue in women empowerment that are addressed in theBPFA, the government sectors cannot work alone without community participation – thatis the involvement of women organizations and non-government organizations (NGOs).That’s why, the public participation to create favorable conditions along with the role ofwomen organizations is very important in working together with government officialswithin ministries and private institutions.The open and distance learning for women organizations over provinces, districtsup to grass root level would give benefits towards the simultaneous growing of thoseorganizations. The user, in this case any women organizations could easily explore thematerial of knowledge for building their capability thru Internet facility. The Websitecreated for Ministry of Women Empowerment is URL: http://www.menegpp.go.id,which hopefully would be extended arms of the MOWE in performing the coordinationand consolidation. Development of material for self-study thru website and CD ROMhave been started on year 2001/2002. The sample case of material was Basic concepts ofgender mainstreaming that was attached to the web site.In fact, material for building the integrated movement of women organizations isnot merely the basic concepts of gender mainstreaming – there are many issues explodedlately that related to the BPFA, such as: trafficking in persons, human rights, domesticviolence, HIV/Aids, sexual exploitation in commercial, local economic for women etc.The utilization of distance learning is not simply put and uses the sources. It needsa careful design and systematic presentation for specific content. The long textual and‘high language’ would be pushed away by the users that mostly come from grassrootsand middle to low education. While the mission of building women machinery wouldbecome a distance target, ever.This paper is exposing the material that has been started years before andunderline some ideas needed for supporting the distance learning over the communicationnetworks, such as: Women media online based on the principles of utilizing somepractical session for the learning material. The existence of Post Office Box 10000 isconsidered useful for the purposes.It is hoped that here after the knowledge and consolidation is becoming more and moregrowing for the integrated movements to give expected empowerment and protectionneeded by the community.INTRODUCTIONS:Gender equity and equality in family, community, nation and country life isbecome the vision of women empowerment in Indonesia. It was announced since year2000 to becoming a share purpose among ministries, organizations and institutions thatare related to women empowerment. The Ministry of Women Empowerment (MOWE)Republic of Indonesia is holding the mandate of coordination of this effort from thePresident of Republic of Indonesia.The situations of women and children in the country that covered from 32provinces, 365 districts and about 14513 islands are vary among social, economic andculture. The realization of many aspect of living involved to women empowerment, suchas: health, education, labor, environment, human rights etc, make this effort is a bitcomplicated. The condition of societies is also varying in unfavorable conditions towomen and children, such as: patriarchy, marginalize, sub-ordinance, violence, youngmarried, children labor, trafficking etc.The government is working together with private sectors to empower women and developthe efforts towards children welfare and protection in Indonesia. The character of more orless static organizations within the government sectors could be harmonize with the non-government organizations, which are more dynamic one. These last parties are directlydiluted to societiesThe variety of conditions, vary resources of those community organizations wouldinterfere the movement; moreover the perceptions in gender mainstreaming to achievegender equality and equity in the community.Concerning to the wide area of geographical - from west to east part of Indonesia, role ofwomen organizations in relation to expected contributions to the women empowerment,children welfare & protection seems quite slow, sporadic and less powerful to changesocial perceptions into the gender favorable-communities.In the other hand, government is working also to establish the same missions of womenempowerment, children welfare and protection – that rationally is supposed to besynergic to each other. The coordination of these movements could not be made one byone or independently for achieving the faster results. Thus, the integrated movements ofpublic participation throughout non government organizations (NGO) is needed, so thatthey could grow together in synergism towards the achievement of gender equity andequality in Indonesia as well as children welfare and protection.It is hoped that public participation could be stimulated in more effective and efficientway. One alternative solution to this matter is the utilization of open and distancelearning for women organizations through practical sessions by using the Internet facility.The existing material of Basic Concepts for gender mainstreaming need to be expandedto wider sources that could support the capacity building and contribute to the integratedmovements for women empowerment in Indonesia.INCREASING MOVEMENTS THRU OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNINGIn order to build self-development and supporting to the movement of womenorganizations for women empowerment, child welfare and protection, a growingknowledge and consolidation is needed. The inter learning among organizations in relatedto grow alternative solution for several women and children issues could become fasterby the facilitation of open and distance learning that provided by the MOWE.The MOWE has created facility of communication networks (url:http://www.menegpp.go.id). The creation of Basic concepts of Gender mainstreaming –gender training as self study in the web and CD ROM is actually built to facilitate thegrowing knowledge and here after to the movements of women and child organizations.User could search the topic by read and answer some questions. There are mapping of thetopics that make user easily choose the subject of learning. The evaluation is alsoprovided for wrong or right answer.Welcome to Basic Concepts for Gender Mainstreaming -a Computer Based Training Program.This material has been designed so that more that one user canuse the same learning package. Each learner is able to use thematerial and to keep track of their individual progressconfidentially.In order to track your learning progress, please click theon the left side of the screen to submit youruser identification. Otherwise, you can login as an anonymoususer by clicking the button on the login box at theright side of the screen.For a returning user, simply enter your login name andpassword at the login box and then click the button.This gender learning session has been attached to the web – that hopefully could be usedfor distance learning by many personnel in many organizations in Indonesia.Site map:User: AnonymousIntroductionBackgroundBasic Gender ConceptsPre-Conditions for Gender MainstreamingKnowledge of Gender MainstreamingSkills Required for Implementing Gender MainstreamingThe government of the developing countries use the development interventions to improve their people’slife and future. The concept of Development Interventions covering the following areas: Whyinterventions are needed; How to distribute and use the development results equally;What components necessary to ensure the development being responsive to the society diversity .The Basic Gender concept is used as a tool to analyze gender inequity within the environment and isrequired to be understood fully by the policy makers and planners.A certain condition or environment is required to be set up by the government in implementinggender mainstreaming. Under this topic, you will be given explanations on the importance ofgender mainstreaming and way to use it.This topic will cover the indepth knowledge about gender mainstreaming that is required for thepolicy makers and planners.The concept of gender planning is essential for the policy makers and planners. Meanwhile, they have toacquire the skill to use the Gender Analysis Pathway (GAP) tool. All the detailed information is givenin this topic.Besides the interactive communication displayed above, users could have postedtheir suggestion and questions that would be managed by administrator daily.All facilitations has been created and announced. However, interaction or intensecommunications among organizations have just created lines among the users while the‘silver lining’ is not coming yet. Many organizations have their own programs withoutmuch sharing information what are really happening to women in Indonesia.We admitted that for such a huge communities this is not an easy job.The organizations need to learn to grow in practical way in understandingwomen’s problem in Indonesia. Learning over distances for community organizations isactually not for only textual knowledge, such as put it into screen and read. Thoseorganizations need live learning sessions, which are cases, and issues that experienced byother parties. The practical session is found in the content of Post Office Box 10000. Thisfacility was created by MOWE to give chances for women and any party to expose theproblem related to women and children issues.POST OFFICE BOX 10000Since the last four years since gender mainstreaming introduced and announcedall over the countries, many issues have been handled by the MOWE.One of tools for monitoring and creating better networking to women organizations isbuilding the Post Office Box  (PO BOX) 10000.Women Organizations or Non Government Organizations which give services forcommunity or personal could write their problems and or ask for support to the MOWErelated to women empowerment and protection for women.Lately during the past three years, as more people have known about the PO BOX, someof them write directly to MOWE office. The target function is still the same as previousmission – media for complaining and asking support related to women and childrenissues. The MOWE would give response for the support needed such as: forwarding letterto certain government sectors, letter for asking clarification of the case that experiencedby women organization in defending their clients etc.Some cases are written below:A government officer has affairs with other woman, and his wife has totaken care of the children. Letter to the institution has no response, oreven show their unawareness to the problem.The woman is asking to government: how the country gives protection towomen related to her problem or similar case? She knows that accordingPP no 10, she’s not supposed to be neglected.A woman has been rapes by several guys that managing migrant workers.The evidence was performed under gun pointing held by army officials.The procedures for put the perpetrators into trials have been neglected,she’s been desperate - while one law officer tried to give sympathy bygiving 3000 rupiahs to her.One women organization brought up this case to the MOWE.The above cases showed pretty much alive of women’s suffering and powerless tofight for better condition. There are many women organizations would like to assist thosewomen in the fields; some of them are facing the same difficulties – bureaucracy,‘silence’ characters, patriarchy system performed in the community etc. Those situationsare valuable to be analyzed and discussed. Solution could be made not to one by one casebut to the typical model of situations – here after alliances could be created. That’s whyusing material of PO BOX 10000 could be positively contributing in building theintegrated movements of women organization in Indonesia.The need to reach and interact, to share knowledge and act in dynamic anddistributed environments creates a challenge on the nature of human collaboration.Meetings are not necessarily a direct face to face that need traveling from place to place.The role of open and distance learning are obvious.The concept of sharing knowledge would direct the picture of issues to let otherorganizations learn about women problems and issues – as frequency shows, and also allprocedures surrounding it. Here after the alliance of integrating movements would comeas response to the networking as coordinated by the MOWE.PROCESS OF DEVELOPMENT:The feasibility of project was started in year 2003 by arranging data of letter from womenorganizations and or personal based on codification of such topography and topic ofsubjects:1. Codification for location of province, district/ city2. Type of subjects for women and children issues: marriage affairs, rapes,sexual harassment, violence, migrant workers, religion, women’s right,neglected by law, poverty, economic problems, health issues etc3. Related sectors involvement, institutions4. Picture of problems and issues: recapitulation of obstacles, modes etc5. Frequency/ volume that are vary among sources6. EtcThe material would be part of some contents for Women Media Online thatcould be attached on the MOWE website. The Basic concepts for gendermainstreaming is still needed for new comers in women organizations, so thistopics should be maintained in more systematic ways, namely in comprehensiveWomen Media Online – picture of community participation in womenempowerment, children welfare and protection.Due to some limitation of sources, such as personnel and financial, the project isdelayed to confirming. Program interface is on progress and job specification tobring up the material for distance learning is still under construction. Theutilization of Visual Basic and Java are considered. Hopefully it is going to befinished this year.In brief, we just hope the’ silver lining’ of alliances among women organizationsdue to integrated movements would be shown obviously and exposed to all partieswho are concern to the achievement of gender equality and equity in Indonesia.This becomes more practical way to faster learning for organizational growing forsupporting the women empowerment within the integrated movements.REMARKS:This paper is trying to bring up one case of utilization of distance learning in thematter of utilization of PO BOX 10000 into practical learning session for womenorganizations to supporting the integrating movement of women empowermentand child welfare and protection in Indonesia. The development is on progressfollowing the basic idea of sample case of basic concepts for gendermainstreaming that has already been attached on the website. For the past twoyears using distance learning is not just merely put the material in the web siteand uses the sources – some more considerations are needed. The material isconsidered practical examples of women problems and issues, so it is estimatedwould be born in the acceptable grassroots.The existence of web site at MOWE is actually facilitated by gendertraining. However this basic concept is just a starting point – still needed for newcomers, but need to be completed with more practical issues. The women mediaonline would be used as integrating tools for such purposes. For the preparation,some classification has been made. Some interface for technical development isstill reviewed. Any suggestion and input is sincerely being respected.Jakarta, August 2004Reference:1. Basic Concepts for Gender mainstreaming, the CIDA and WSP II incollaboration with the Ministry of Women Empowerment.2. Jurgen Habermass, Theory of Communicative Action3. Nawal El Sadaawi, Women in Patriarchy Culture, 20004. Ministry of Women Empowerment republic of Indonesia, National MasterPlan on Women Empowerment: 2000 – 2004

Building Integrated Movement of Women Organizations for Women Empowerment in Indonesia Through Practical Session of Distance Learning

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Building Integrated Movement of Women Organizations for Women Empowerment in Indonesia Through Practical Session of Distance Learning

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