Kekerasan Terhadap Perempuan Pada Masyarakat Multietnik

The complexity and intensity of violence against women (VAW) has increased over the past few years. Despite the increase in national as well as international attention towards the upsurge in both the degree and number of cases involving violence against women, public appreciation of this issue in North Sumatra Province is still woefully limited. The high competition among inter-ethnic groups in North Sumatra has meant that people have had to live in an environment fraught with violence. As a consequence, the public’s sensitivity toward violence is minimal as they regard it part and parcel of their way of life. Yet, indications from various local news sources reveal that the number of cases involving violence against women has reached worrying proportions.

The North Sumatra society/community, in urban and rural areas, alike, define violence as an action that causes physical harm to the body. Thus, actions, which do not cause physical harm, such as sexual violence of a slight, moderate, or even of non-physical nature, are not categorized as violent actions.

The status of the victim is equally important. The definition of violent action is also influenced by whether the victim and perpetrator are familiar with each other. If the victim of the violence is close to the individual who commits the felony, moderate and slight sexual violence, along with other forms of sexual violence that are not physical, are not considered violent actions.

The highly patriarchal culture, which is strong and pervasive in North Sumatra, is one of the factors responsible for the increase in violence against women. Besides culture, the economic factor is likewise considered contributory to the increase in violence against women. Data indicate that while urban women often fall victims of sexual violence of all degrees (slight, moderate, and severe), rural women are often the targets of non-sexual violence, physical and otherwise. In terms of age brackets, it is found out that while most victims of sexual violence fall are less than 24 years. While the old are often are often victims of violence of a serious nature in urban areas, it is the 25-34 middle age bracket that experiences such violence in rural areas. Such facts are a testimony that violence against women occurs at all social levels (age bracket/group, economic status, social status) urban and rural areas alike.

This article also analyses the causative factors of violence against women in the society, as well as providing a detailed description of the characteristics of the perpetrator along with reaction of victims and people of North Sumatra to such violence.

Key word: Violence, Victim, Society.