Velmariri Bambari

Last updated
Velmariri Bambari
Born1980
Indonesia
Occupationwomen's rights activist
Awards 100 Women (BBC) (2022)

Velmariri Bambari (born 1980) is an Indonesian activist who works for the rights of victims of sexual violence. She has a physical disability and walks with the help of crutches. Bambari was honored as one of the BBC 100 Women in 2022. [1]

Contents

Biography

In 2014, Bambari decided take a three-year training course in child protection and female empowerment. Since 2018, she has raised her voice to denounce the situation of victims of sexual violence in remote areas of Indonesia and accompanied victims of sexual violence to the police stations to provide psychological support to them, so that the complaints are processed properly. [2] In Central Sulawesi province of Indonesia, both the perpetrators and women who have suffered sexual abuse are fined according to customary laws. Also there is no imprisonment for the offender. Bambari fought to ignore these rules and to put the attackers in jail. [3] Many Indonesian women who have experienced sexual assault have turned to Bambari and she has already assisted at least 10 of them in getting justice as well as self-empowerment and preparation for financial independence. When a sexual violence is reported, Bambari is frequently the first person the police contact because of her campaign. [4]

Recognition

In December 2022, by recognising her contributions, BBC named Bambari as one among the BBC's 100 Women. [5]

Related Research Articles

Some victims of rape or other sexual violence incidents are male. It is estimated that approximately one in six men experienced sexual abuse during childhood. Historically, rape was thought to be, and defined as, a crime committed solely against females. This belief is still held in some parts of the world, but rape of males is now commonly criminalized and has been subject to more discussion than in the past.

In scholarly literature and criminology, gang rape, also called serial gang rape, party rape, group rape, or multiple perpetrator rape, is the rape of a single victim by two or more violators. Gang rapes are forged on shared identity, religion, ethnic group, or race. There are multiple motives for serial gang rapes, such as for sexual entitlement, asserting sexual prowess, war, punishment, and, in up to 30% of cases, for targeting racial minorities, religious minorities, or ethnic groups.

Rape is a type of sexual assault initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, under threat or manipulation, by impersonation, or with a person who is incapable of giving valid consent.

Statistics on rape and other sexual assaults are commonly available in industrialized countries, and have become better documented throughout the world. Inconsistent definitions of rape, different rates of reporting, recording, prosecution and conviction for rape can create controversial statistical disparities, and lead to accusations that many rape statistics are unreliable or misleading.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rape</span> Type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse without consent

Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person who is incapable of giving valid consent, such as one who is unconscious, incapacitated, has an intellectual disability, or is below the legal age of consent. The term rape is sometimes used interchangeably with the term sexual assault.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Indonesia</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Indonesia face legal challenges and prejudices not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Traditional mores disapprove of homosexuality and transitioning, which impacts public policy. Indonesian same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for any of the legal protections available to opposite-sex married couples. Most parts of Indonesia do not have a sodomy law, and the country does not currently prohibit non-commercial, private and consensual sexual activity between members of the same-sex, yet there is no specific Indonesian law that protects the LGBT community against discrimination and hate crimes. In Aceh, homosexuality is illegal under Islamic Sharia law and it is punishable by flogging or imprisonment. Indonesia does not recognize same-sex marriage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sexual violence in South Africa</span>

The rate of sexual violence in South Africa is among the highest recorded in the world. Police statistics of reported rapes as a per capita figure has been dropping in recent years, although the reasons for the drop has not been analysed and it is not known how many rapes go unreported. More women are attacked than men, and children have also been targeted, partly owing to a myth that having sex with a virgin will cure a man of HIV/AIDS. Rape victims are at high risk of contracting HIV/AIDS owing to the high prevalence of the disease in South Africa. "Corrective rape" is also perpetrated against LGBT men and women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acid attack</span> Form of violent assault

An acid attack, also called acid throwing, vitriol attack, or vitriolage, is a form of violent assault involving the act of throwing acid or a similarly corrosive substance onto the body of another "with the intention to disfigure, maim, torture, or kill". Perpetrators of these attacks throw corrosive liquids at their victims, usually at their faces, burning them, and damaging skin tissue, often exposing and sometimes dissolving the bones. Acid attacks can lead to permanent, partial, or complete blindness.

Rape in Egypt is a criminal offense with penalties ranging from 15 to 25 years and a lifetime sentence if the rape included abduction. Marital rape is legal. By 2008, the U.N. quoted Egypt's Interior Ministry's figure that 20,000 rapes take place every year, although according to the activist Engy Ghozlan (ECWR), rapes are 10 times higher than the stats given by Interior Ministry, making it 200,000 per year. Mona Eltahawy has also noted the same figure (200,000), and added that this was before the revolution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Violence against women in India</span> Public health issue of violent acts against women

Violence against women in India refers to physical or sexual violence committed against a woman, typically by a man. Common forms of violence against women in India include acts such as domestic abuse, sexual assault, and murder. In order to be considered violence against women, the act must be committed solely because the victim is female. Most typically, these acts are committed by men as a result of the long-standing gender inequalities present in the country.

Mass sexual assault is the collective sexual assault of women, men and sometimes children, in public by groups. Typically acting under the protective cover of large gatherings, victims have reported being groped, stripped, beaten, bitten, penetrated and raped.

After a sexual assault or rape, victims are often subjected to scrutiny and, in some cases, mistreatment. Victims undergo medical examinations and are interviewed by police. If there is a criminal trial, victims suffer a loss of privacy, and their credibility may be challenged. Victims may also become the target of slut-shaming, abuse, social stigmatization, sexual slurs and cyberbullying. These factors, contributing to a rape culture, are among some of the reasons that may contribute up to 80% of all rapes going unreported in the U.S, according to a 2016 study done by the U.S. Department of Justice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MeToo movement</span> Social movement against sexual abuse and harassment

#MeToo is a social movement and awareness campaign against sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and rape culture, in which people publicize their experiences of sexual abuse or sexual harassment. The phrase "Me Too" was initially used in this context on social media in 2006, on Myspace, by sexual assault survivor and activist Tarana Burke. The hashtag #MeToo was used starting in 2017 as a way to draw attention to the magnitude of the problem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feminism in Indonesia</span>

Feminism in Indonesia refers to the long history of discourse for gender equality to bring about positive social change in Indonesia. The issues women in Indonesia currently are facing include gender violence, underage marriages, and lack of representation in the political system. Feminism and the women's right movement began during colonial Indonesia under Dutch rule and were spearheaded by the national heroine Kartini, a Javanese noblewoman who advocated for the education of all women and girls regardless of social status. In the early 19th century, women's rights organizations and movements were allowed to developed under Budi Utomo, the first Indonesian Nationalist organization. Modern day Indonesian feminism include and are influenced by both fundamentalist and progressive Islamic women's organizations.

The Law on Sexual Violence Crimes is a law aimed to tackle sexual violence in Indonesia. The bill of the law was proposed on January 26, 2016. The law focuses on the prevention of sexual violence, more rights for victims and to acknowledge marital rape.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nadeen Ashraf</span> Egyptian feminist activist

Nadeen Ashraf is an Egyptian feminist activist. Her use of social media instigated the #MeToo movement within Egypt. She is part of the BBC's 100 Women of 2020 list.

The #MeToo movement emerged in China shortly after it originated in the United States. In mainland China, online MeToo posts were slowed by government censorship. On Weibo, #Metoo and #MetooinChina were both blocked for a period of time. To avoid the censorship, Chinese women using the #MeToo hashtag on social media began using bunny and bowl-of-rice emojis; "rice bunny" is pronounced mi-tu in Chinese. Feminist activist Xiao Qiqi originated the use of rice-bunny emojis for the movement. Another alternative is “River Crab” which indicates censorship. Generally, the #Metoo movement was only accessible to elite women and urban women.

Sexual violence in the Russian invasion of Ukraine has been committed by Armed Forces of Russia, including the use of mass rape as a weapon of war. According to the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, the victims of sexual assault by Russian soldiers ranged from 4 years old to over 80 years old.

Azriana Manalu is an Acehnese women's rights activist and lawyer, who was Chair of the National Commission on Violence against Women in Indonesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisda Hendrajoni</span> Indonesian politician

Lisda Hendrajoni is an Indonesian politician of Minangkabau descent who became a member of the 2019–2024 House of Representatives (DPR) of Republic of Indonesia (RI). Additionally, she is the chairperson of the Indonesian Muslim Entrepreneurs Association (IPEMI) West Sumatra.

References

  1. "Velmariri Bambari Wants To Change Law on Sexual Assault in Indonesia - LatinAmerican Post". latinamericanpost.com. 2023-08-15. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
  2. "Ibu bertongkat di Sulawesi mendobrak hukum adat demi memenjarakan pelaku kejahatan seksual". BBC News Indonesia (in Indonesian). 2022-07-19. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
  3. Mahasiswa, Suara (2023-03-21). "Gebrakan Velmariri Bambari Melawan Tradisi Lama Penanganan Kasus Pelecehan Seksual | Suaramahasiswa.info" (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2023-08-15.
  4. developer, mediaindonesia com (2023-03-26). "Velmariri Bambari : Membela Korban Kekerasan Seksual dari Penindasan Hukum Kampung". mediaindonesia.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2023-08-15.
  5. "BBC 100 Women 2022: Who is on the list this year? - BBC News". News. Retrieved 2023-08-15.