Women in East Timor

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Market women in Maubisse

Women make up 49.2% of the population in East Timor (2015). While attempts are being made to ensure their participation in national politics and have traditionally been assigned important roles, many women in East Timor today suffer from violence and abuse in everyday life. Domestic violence is a major problem in the country.

November 3rd is officially celebrated in East Timor as National Women's Day.

history

Figure from Atauro of mother and child (19th or 20th century)
Timorese women around 1900

According to the concept of Lulik in Timorese belief , a distinction is made between the masculine, real world and the spiritual, female world, which is why women seldom held political but great spiritual / ritual power in society. According to the Timorese understanding, spiritual power takes precedence over political power. No decisions could be made without consultation between these two levels. The divine being and creator is called Maromak , a word that the Catholic Church has adopted for its liturgy in Tetum . In contrast to the Christian God (Aman Maromak) , Maromak is female according to the ancient Timorese belief. According to the East Timorese anthropologist Josh Trindade, this testifies to the importance of women in ancient Timorese society. Women were revered for their ability to bring forth new life, and life played out around the woman in the center. A Timorese proverb reads "show respect, women are holy" ( tetum Hakruk ba feto maromak ). This contradicts the Christian-occidental picture, in which Eve emerged from a rib of Adam, so that the man is the origin of life. According to Trindade's analysis, the woman is subordinate to and dependent on the man, which means that Christianity is partly to blame for the current situation of women in East Timor. Even today, for example, the Naueti in the south-east of the country have not seen any restrictions on women's say in negotiations. Even in the Portuguese colonial days, women contributed to political decisions in the clan and sometimes led the men in war. Some women also negotiated with other ruling families. Trindade sees today's underrepresentation of women as a result of foreign rule, not in traditional culture.

During the Japanese occupation of Timor (1942–1945) women fell victim to the soldiers of the occupying forces. As in other countries, local women were forcibly used by Japanese soldiers as so-called comfort women .

On August 28, 1975 FRETILIN was the first women's organization of a party, the Organização Popular da Mulher Timorense (OPMT) to be founded, with Rosa Bonaparte as its first general secretary. Bonaparte had become a member of a Maoist movement during her studies in Portugal and was one of the few women in the leadership of FRETILIN with María do Céu Pereira (Bi Lear) , Dulce Maria da Cruz (Wewe) and Guilhermina Araújo . In the short period up to the occupation by Indonesia, the OPMT offered East Timorese women an opportunity to participate in the social system on a national level, beyond the traditional level. According to Bonaparte, the OPMT should empower women to train the youth for the “continuation of the revolution” and awaken passive women for self-liberation (kore a'an) . You should be aware of the “repression under colonialism and patriarchy”. In contrast to Trindade, women who belonged to the OPMT at this time also see oppression of women from culture, customs and tradition. In the short time in which it was able to work freely until December 1975, the OPMT organized crèches and kindergartens throughout the country. Women were taught to read and write and politically educated about "colonial oppression" and how to overcome it. This can be called an anti-colonial form of feminism , although in other Third World countries feminism went hand in hand with the reviving nationalism in the colonies. Sexual exploitation of Timorese women by the colonial rulers was also denounced, as was polygamy . The emancipation of East Timorese women became the symbolic goal of the independence movement. Rogério Lobato , a FRETILIN activist who worked abroad during the occupation , stated in an interview in 1978 that East Timor could not be liberated without the women of East Timor also being liberated. The later Nobel Peace Prize laureate José Ramos-Horta called the women of the colonial era the "double slaves", slave to the colonial masters and slave to husbands and other male relatives. The oppression of women became a symbol of the backward-looking Portuguese colonial society. Despite the participation of women in the party, after FRETILIN's hasty, unilateral proclamation of the independence of East Timor on November 28, 1975, not a single woman was represented in the cabinet . Nine days later, Indonesian troops landed in East Timor's capital, Dili.

Market women in Atsabe in the late 1960s

The Indonesian occupation (1975–1999) left its mark on women in particular. In addition to violent crimes (systematic rape, sexual slavery), the Indonesian occupying power were also accused of forced sterilization , forced abortions and contraception for population control and Indonesization. The later Reception, Truth and Reconciliation Commission of East Timor (CAVR) could not prove any organized genocide using these methods, but the spread of the rumor points to the deep distrust of the East Timorese of the Indonesian population control program . The Serious Crimes Unit of UNTAET reported on so-called Rape Houses in Suai , Bobonaro , lolotoe , Gleno and the headquarters of Aitarak militia in Dili . If women were victims of sexual violence as activists or members of freedom fighters during the occupation, they are now considered socially branded. Their families feel ashamed, husbands reject them, and children from these incidents are often denied Catholic baptism and church attendance.

Women also played an active role in the resistance to the Indonesian occupation. Sometimes also in armed struggle, but mostly as a "clandestino" in the network that supplied the fighters with information, supplies, medicines and weapons. 60% of these clandestinos were women. So was Maria Isabel Caeiro Alves Olandina a spokeswoman in radio Maubere , the radio station of the resistance movement, until it was taken by the Indonesians and detained. Other examples of women in the East Timorese resistance are the spy Maria Gorete Joaquim , the OPMT chairwoman Ilda Maria da Conceição , Olinda Morais and Maria Rosa da Câmara . The OPMT continued the literacy program for adults and children in rural areas during the guerrilla war. The brigadistas , the volunteer teachers, included Aicha Bassarewan and Maria Maia dos Reis e Costa . Often sexual violence was used as a weapon against women in the resistance.

Todays situation

Marriage and domestic violence

24% of women are married before their 20th birthday. In men it is only 5%. They usually get married between the ages of 25 and 29. The husbands are therefore usually seven to ten years older than their wives. In general, domestic violence is a big problem. According to a 2015 report by the Asia Foundation, 59% of intimate East Timorese women between the ages of 15 and 49 had experienced sexual or physical violence. More than 400 cases were registered in 2008 alone, but the number of unreported cases is likely to far exceed this number. The reasons for this can be found in the traumatic experiences of the residents. Studies by the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) in two of the then districts of the country showed that violence for Timorese women was "normal" and considered a private matter. According to a study, 80% of men and women in East Timor consider it “justifiable” to hit their wives under certain circumstances. In 2009, domestic violence was included in the civil code as a criminal offense, for the first time in the country's history, as this was not the case under Indonesian rule either. On May 3, 2010, the National Parliament passed a law to provide legal assistance to victims of domestic violence. In the previous debate it was criticized that the law damages the inviolability of the family and the culture of Timor. Fernanda Borges , the party leader of the Partido Unidade Nacional PUN, spoke out against this : "The Timorese culture does not teach us violence."

Josh Trindade criticizes the fact that both local and international gender activists ignore the traditionally prominent position of the Timorese woman and the interplay of the sexes in family and society after the Lulik . This could be compared with the classification of women in the time of foreign rule by Portugal and Indonesia . Trindade advocates a return to the old cultural meaning of women. The modern, western image of women is too individually oriented, but the Timorese culture of the Lulik sees the ideal in the cooperation of man and woman, which also runs counter to patriarchy . In addition, there would be no social security outside of the family and the Western understanding of values ​​would put the economic importance of women ahead of their social and ritual importance in society. He therefore advocates gender equality within the superordinate family or society.

Abortion law

The abortion law still follows old Indonesian law. Abortions are forbidden by law, even if the mother's life is in danger, which is why illegal abortions are performed without medical help. A new law based on Portuguese and Australian law is currently being planned. According to this, abortions should be allowed if the pregnancy endangers the life of the woman. Initially, Catholic forces in politics, such as Fernanda Borges, spoke out against the law and criticized it as "Western influence". But because abortions should continue to be considered criminal apart from the exception regulation, the Catholic Church later advocated the new regulation. Abortions by victims of sexual violence and incest are no longer decriminalized, contrary to initial plans.

prostitution

Illegal women from Southeast and East Asia who were engaged in prostitution in East Timor were repeatedly apprehended. People smugglers were also arrested in this context.

Political participation

Isabel da Costa Ferreira (2015), Former Deputy Minister of Justice and First Lady of East Timor
Maria Angelina Lopes Sarmento (2019)

Women in East Timor initially had the right to vote in accordance with the laws of the Portuguese colonial power (until 1975) and the Indonesian dictatorship (until 1999). You could take part in the independence referendum in East Timor in 1999 as well as in the subsequent elections under UN administration and in independent East Timor.

Most parties advocate equality between men and women, which is also enshrined in the constitution. In 2008, 88% of the residents of East Timor thought women were just as well suited as men to hold government positions, and only 7% thought they were less suitable. 71% of respondents said they could envision voting for a woman in future elections. For 8% that was unimaginable.

In the first municipal elections in 2004/2005 , women were elected as bosses in seven sucos and several aldeias for the first time, in the new elections in 2009 there were nine and in 2016 13 female bosses de suco.

In East Timor's first national parliament, 25.3% of the members of parliament were women. In the new elections in 2007 , it was stipulated that 25% of the candidates on the party lists had to be women. Eighteen women moved into the new, smaller parliament. The proportion of women in parliament was now 27.7%. In the 2012 elections , 19 women became MPs (29.2%). In the 2017 elections , at least every third place on the electoral lists of the parties had to be occupied by a woman. Therefore, after the formation of the government, the parliament had 26 female MPs and thus with 40% the largest proportion of women of all time. The fifth parliament currently (as of April 2020) has 23 female MPs, which corresponds to a share of 35.4%. Maria Angelina Lopes Sarmento has been the first deputy to the President of Parliament since 2018.

Since the first transitional government under the United Nations , women have been represented as ministers in the cabinet. In the current government , 7 out of 43 cabinet members are women ( previously 6 out of 37), including Deputy Prime Minister and Social Affairs Minister Armanda Berta dos Santos , Foreign Minister Adaljíza Magno and Health Minister Odete Maria Belo . State Secretary for Equality is Maria José da Fonseca Monteiro de Jesus .

Others

In 2010, Natércia Martins became the first woman in East Timor to be appointed police commander of the Liquiçá district.

Women's organizations

Kirsty Sword Gusmão , the wife of former Prime Minister Gusmão , is the founder and chair of the Alola Foundation , which works for women in East Timor. Alola supports a variety of projects across the country.

Rede Feto is a national network of various women's organizations for gender equality and the empowerment of women. The president is Judite Dias Ximenes (as of 2019).

Fokupers (Forum Komunikasaun ba feto timor loro sa'e) was founded in 1997 to tackle domestic violence in East Timor.

literature

Web links

Commons : Women of East Timors  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Direcção-Geral de Estatística : Results of the 2015 census , accessed on November 23, 2016.
  2. a b Josh Trindade: Lulik: The Core of Timorese Values , pp. 11 ff., Accessed on November 6, 2017.
  3. Testimony Shows Comfort Women Were Forcibly Sent to Brothels , Donga, April 23, 2007
  4. a b Irena Cristalis and Catherine Scott: Independent women: The story of women's activism in East Timor
  5. James J. Fox: FRETILIN (Frente Revolucionária do Timor-Leste Independente). In: Southeast Asia. A Historical Encyclopedia, from Angkor Wat to East Timor. Abc-Clio, 2005, ISBN 1-57607-770-5 , pp. 522-523.
  6. ^ ETAN East Timor's Premier Has Arab Ancestry
  7. Timor-Leste Memória: Controlo de natalidade  ( page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English)@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / amrtimor.org  
  8. ^ J. Atticus Ryan, Christopher A. Mullen: Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization: Yearbook 1997. p. 75.
  9. ^ Louise Olsson: Gender Equality and United Nations Peace Operations in Timor Leste. 2009, ISBN 978-90-04-17549-5 , pp. 66-67.
  10. Chapter 7.7: Sexual Violence ( Memento of the original dated February 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 1.2 MB) from the final report of the Reception, Truth and Reconciliation Commission of East Timor (English)  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.cavr-timorleste.org
  11. a b c d The Diplomat: Timor-Leste's Forgotten Female Rebels , May 16, 2018 , accessed May 17, 2018.
  12. International Women's Development Agency: 10 things you probably don't know about Timor-Leste , June 6, 2017 , accessed June 9, 2017.
  13. a b UNIFEM, May 6, 2010, Domestic Violence Law Passed in Timor-Leste ( Memento of the original of June 13, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed May 20, 2012. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.unifem.org
  14. ^ DPA: New abortion law raises questions in Catholic E Timor , October 13, 2008 , accessed February 14, 2016.
  15. ^ East Timor says no to abortion and proposes an Accord with the Catholic Church, October 21, 2008 , accessed May 20, 2012.
  16. Radio Australia: Draft abortion laws dropped in East Timor , April 4, 2009 ( November 5, 2011 memento in the Internet Archive ), accessed May 20, 2012.
  17. ABC news: 28 arrested in E Timor over possible human trafficking , January 3, 2008 , accessed May 20, 2012.
  18. ^ Constitution of East Timor (Portuguese), accessed May 29, 2015.
  19. International Republican Institute: Timor-Leste National Survey Results , November 10 - December 16, 2008 (PDF; 932 kB), accessed on May 20, 2012.
  20. ^ Secretariado Técnico de Administração Eleitoral STAE: Eleições para Liderança Comunitária 2009 - Resultados ( Memento of August 4, 2010 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on May 20, 2012.
  21. Jornal da República: Lista Naran Xefe Suku Eleito 2016, December 2, 2016 , accessed on June 17, 2020.
  22. La'o Hamutuk 2017 Timor-Leste Parliamentary Election - List of Parliamentary slates from all parties , accessed July 14, 2017.
  23. United Nations: Breaking barriers and building bridges in Timor-Leste's police force , May 30, 2019 , accessed June 25, 2019.
  24. ^ Alola Foundation , accessed May 20, 2012.
  25. ASEAN Sogie Caucus: New Publication: A Research Report on the Lives of Lesbian and Bisexual Women and Transgender Men in Timor-Leste , accessed November 8, 2017.
  26. SPEECH FETO KONVIDA PREZIDENTE REPÚBLIKA BA ABERTURA KONGRESU , September 26, 2019 , accessed on September 26, 2019.
  27. Fokupers: About , accessed June 30, 2018.