Tembok Tradisi Dan Tindak Kekerasan Terhadap Perempuan

Violence against women is a serious issue because of its increasing degree and intensity. Women experience violence both in the domestic and public sector. In this study the domestic and public dichotomy of violence is based on the relationship between the perpetrator and the victim of violence. If the relationship between the perpetrator and the victim is genealogical and marital, within the nucleus family, then such violence as may occur is regarded as domestic violence, on one hand. On the other hand, however, if there is no such relationship between the perpetrator of violence and his victim, then any violence that may occur is considered public violence. This study focuses on public sector violence.

Women, those who dwell in urban and rural areas often experience sexual harassment and violence. In urban areas pornography is possibly major influence in the emergence of such actions, while in rural areas the environmental situation and condition is the principal cause. The village environment where the research was conducted is conducive for the carrying out violence against women without the knowledge of any one because of apart from the long distance that separates one homestead from another, the existence of a piece of land that is separated by valleys and hills covered by large trees. Such conditions are quite different from those that prevail in urban areas. In urban areas where the distance between one house and another is very short should actually serve as a means of social control, is weakened by the indifference exhibited by urban dwellers who show no concern about affairs of their neighbors, and thus, is an obstacle in the way of preventing the perpetration of violence against women.

Women who dwell in urban areas experience relatively less rape or rape attempts than those in rural areas. While the perpetrators of rape or attempts at rape suffered by women in urban areas are people who are not known to their victims, the perpetrators of similar actions are often done by neighbors. This is ample proof that apparently rural dwellers are not any more tolerant and mindful of their neighbors than those in urban areas. Few cases involving violence against women have pursued legal channels as a way to resolve such cases. This is due to the assumption held by members of the general public that such cases constitute obscenity hence must be concealed as any attempts at pursuing legal means will bring shame and embarrassment to both the victim and her family. Efforts to combat the occurrence of violence against women are hindered by the widely held view that such acts are not unusual.

Besides suffering from sexual harassment, many women experience psychological violence. This occurs both in urban and rural areas. A woman who is not married at a certain age, without children, or cannot cook is often considered unable to play the role of a woman in full, which makes her the target of psychological violence such as criticism, scolding, and manipulation. This study will try to explain how violence against women in urban and rural areas occur, factors that underlie it, and the way members of the general public respond to such violence.

Key word: Violence, Victim, Sexual Harassment