Attacked for refusing sex: in Indonesia, the ‘epidemic’ of violence against women
- The highest number of cases of violence against women occurred within households, government data show
- Indonesian women also face frequent sexual harassment in public spaces, including in the street and on public transport
In one incident, a man in Jakarta reportedly slashed his wife’s throat with a machete after she refused to have sex with him, an act witnessed by their two children, aged seven and 14.
The mother survived the attack last week, police told reporters, after neighbours heard screams, broke down the door and found her in a critical condition. The 34-year-old woman is recovering and “now able to speak”.
This week a mother of three from west Java attacked her husband with an axe after he allegedly demanded his sex “quota”. Police said the woman, who gave birth two months ago, had post-partum depression.
“The stories were so shocking, one because they were pretty graphic and brutal, but at the same time I was quite shocked that not many media picked it up,” said Hannah Al-Rashid, an Indonesian actor and activist.