ProRep Newsletter Vol 2 March - June 2014

In this edition: The Way Forward: Policy Clusters Page. 2 .................................................................................................................

Evidence-based Research Leaves a Mark on Democracy

Page. 3 .................................................................................................................

Policy Research Network Seeks New Members and Shares Research on Representation

Page. 4 ................................................................................................................

National Deforestation Issues Presented to Global Audience

Page. 6 ................................................................................................................

Learning from South Korea About Stronger Budget Scrutiny

Page. 6 ................................................................................................................

Accountability Is a Two-way Street

Page. 7 ................................................................................................................

Institutional Transformation for Inclusive Policymaking Processes

Page. 8 ................................................................................................................

Gender Discrimination: Can Indonesia Make This a Thing of the Past?

Page. 9 ................................................................................................................

Snapshot of July Activities Page. 12

This newsletter is made possible by the support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents of this newsletter are the sole responsibility of Chemonics International and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

All images are property of Š USAID/Program Representasi unless otherwise stated.

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An elementary school student in Indramayu, West Java reviewing an in-class assignment. Through its policy cluster approach, ProRep is providing a platform for policy makers, policy implementers, research groups, and advocacy organizations to work together to address critical issues affecting education in Indonesia.

The Way Forward: Policy Clusters During ProRep’s initial three years, the project assisted DPR Members and staff to develop increased capacity in budget analysis and oversight, policy analysis, legislative drafting, constituent relations management, and other areas. Entering its fourth year, ProRep is fostering collaboration among policymakers and other actors to advance evidence-based, inclusive, and equitable policy improvements. ProRep is facilitating the formation of policy clusters – groups involving civil society, think tanks, policy makers and others – to work together to identify and take opportunities to learn and act in a strategic and collaborative way on policy issues.

In March 2014, the project began conducting assessments and multistakeholder meetings in several issue areas and determined three specific areas to support: education, maternal and

child health, and environment. ProRep is currently developing new grants with Indonesian civil society organizations (CSOs) and research institutions to implement programs that will advance

Education This cluster seeks to contribute to improved quality of Indonesian teachers and school services by assisting relevant policymakers to evaluate and improve two existing national policies, i.e.: on the Teacher Certification Program (TCP) and School Operational Assistance (BOS) Program. A third important focus is on improving the distribution and deployment of teachers in Indonesia to help ensure more equitable learning opportunities for students.

Maternal and Child Health This cluster will focus on improving the implementation of policies related to maternal and child health (MCH), with an emphasis on issues related to the accreditation of health facilities, certification of medical professionals, and implementation of the new national Health Insurance Program (JKN).

more effective and inclusive policy improvements in these three areas by enhancing civic participation, the application of policy research and analysis, and collaboration among, and effectiveness of, actors involved in policy processes.

Furthermore, to provide a platform for concerned stakeholders to come together, learn about the issues, and develop joint action plans for policy upgrades, ProRep will facilitate other activities including multi-stakeholder forums, conferences, focus group discussions and others.

Please visit the ProRep website www.representasiefektif.org to learn more about the new policy cluster approach and contact info@prorep.or.id if you are interested in collaborating on one or more of these policy issues.

Environment This cluster aims to support efforts to reduce the rate of deforestation and land, coastal, and marine degradation in Indonesia through, for example, encouraging ministries to promulgate regulations on important environmental laws and Constitutional Court rulings, including the Environmental Law (Law No. 32/2009), and Constitutional Court rulings No. 45/2011 on forest borders and No. 35/2012 on indigenous forests.

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Evidence-based Research Leaves a Mark on Democracy In the spirit of sharing and learning, ProRep and its partners are making available electronically four books developed with ProRep support and launched over the past few months.

From Symbolic Representation to Substantive Representation: How effective is Indonesia’s Dewan Perwakilan Daerah (DPD), or Regional Representative Council? Do citizens understand the DPD and its roles? And how successfully do DPD members represent the interests of their constituents? Through conducting surveys and interviews of DPD members and constituents in the provinces of East Kalimantan and Yogyakarta, researchers of the Institute for Research and Empowerment (IRE) were able to gauge the impact and perception of Indonesia’s upper chamber. They present their findings in this new publication which is a “must read” for Indonesia’s politicians, political scientists, civil society activists, and those engaged in the debate concerning Indonesia’s Regional Representative Council (DPD).

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

Nelson Mandela.

Annotation of Law No. 32 of 2009 on Environmental Protection and Management: This law made several important changes designed to strengthen protection of Indonesia’s environment, but delays in promulgating implementing regulations mean that Indonesia is not yet benefitting from most of the law’s provisions.

This new book published by the Indonesian Center for Environmental Law (ICEL) provides several specific observations that can be helpful to the Ministry of Environment in developing the regulations for this law. The annotated book draws on historical analyses of laws and regulations.

Develop Relationships, Convey Aspirations!: Following publication in April of “Tips for Effective Visits to the Electoral District,” a detailed guidebook to help members of parliament (MPs) conduct more effective visits to their constituencies, ProRep recently published a practical guide for citizens on engaging with policy makers. This book, written in easy-to-understand language, is designed to help citizens better understand the roles and functions of the House of Representatives (DPR) and its members, and to help them better connect with their MPs so that they can address their concerns more effectively.

Towards the Politics of Performance-based Budgeting: Paramadina Public Policy Institute (PPPI) launched their latest book on April 23. The book discloses important data from their research on the implementation of the State Finance Law in Indonesia and recommends that ministries shift from the incremental budgeting system to performance-based budgeting system.

All publications are accessible here: http://www.representasiefektif.org/ view-knowledge

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Policy Research Network Seeks New Members and Shares Research on Representation

Teguh Dartanto from the Institute of Economic and Social Research in the University of Indonesia’s Faculty of Economics (LPEM FEUI), and Philips J. Vermonte from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) present their research findings at the national seminar, “Becoming Representative Agents: Investments and Relations of Legislative Candidates.”

2014 has thus far been a crucial period for Indonesian democracy with the legislative elections in April and the presidential elections in July. To better inform the debate regarding the parliamentary elections, three research institutions that are members of the Policy Research Network (PRN) collaborated and presented several key findings from their research on representation issues in a seminar entitled “Becoming Representative Agents: Investments and Relations of Legislative Candidates,” hosted on March 19, 2014 in Jakarta.

The three research studies analyzed the methods that parliamentary candidates use to reach their constituents and how successful each method is at fostering effective representation. Teguh Dartanto, an Associate Researcher with LPEM FEUI, presented his research on the financial investments legislative candidates made in the 2014 campaign period and the impact of this spending on the economy.

“A member of parliament (MP) candidate has to invest 1.1 billion rupiah (around USD 95,000) in order to be elected. This figure has increased fourfold since the 2009 election,” said Teguh. He also noted that these high campaign costs contribute to an increase in corruption cases as legislative candidates feel the need to get a return on their political and financial investment.

Legislative candidates are also pressured to spend large amounts of money in order to improve relations with their constituents, and enhance their electability. A research paper published by CSIS, “Looking for Ways to Develop Effective Political Representation” identified a number of reasons politicians are not effective at building relations with their constituents.

Among them are a lack of time and effort invested by the MPs, poorly organized systems to reach out to constituents, and apathetic constituents at the regional level. Two national surveys conducted

by CSIS in April 2013 and November 2013 found that more than 80% of respondents did not know the legislative members from their electoral district. “The cost of communication between the MPs/political parties and contituents is expensive and usually only transactional. The constituents would like to meet the MPs if they expect a reward, not because [they feel] they

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Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education.

Franklin D. Roosevelt.

need each other,” Philips J. Vermonte, the head of the Department of Politics and International Relations at CSIS, explained.

At the regional level, a case study done by the Institute for Research and Empowerment (IRE) in East Kalimantan and Yogyakarta found that the DPD as an alternative representative agency is still at the beginning stages of building its representation process. As of now, DPD members usually back their constituents because of the similarities, such as cultural identity, religion, and mutual family relationships they share.1 A researcher from IRE, Abdur Rozaki, said, “Members of the DPD need to build strategic alliances by networking with citizen forums, CSOs, academics, journalists, politicians, and any other individuals that support these positive changes. It is through substantial representation only that the DPD’s role as

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A nun casts a ballot into a box in Jakarta, Indonesia. Experts believe that increasing the number of women to national-level decision-making positions will increase the likelihood that women issues will be addressed.

Greater numbers of women representatives in the parliament will help ensure that women’s perspectives are considered in the policy-making process. More women will have their voices heard, their thoughts and ideas considered, and their views reflected in major political reform.

the regional representative agent at the national level will be meaningful.”

In addition to the national seminar, the Policy Research Network (PRN), a network of research institutions supported by ProRep, officially went public on March 19, 2014, in Jakarta. This opens the door for other research institutions to join and expand their network.

Founded in January 2013, the PRN is committed to promoting evidence-based research on public policy. The PRN is expected to be a platform for research institutions to contribute to and enrich the methods and results of research and expand the dissemination of research results to related stakeholders. Through networking, research institutions can give input to policymakers at both the regional and national level. The PRN was founded by five institutions: The Centre for Strategic

and International Studies (CSIS), Institute for Research and Empowerment (IRE), The Institute of Economic and Social Research in the University of Indonesia’s Faculty of Economics (LPEM FEUI), Paramadina Public Policy Institute (PPPI), and Women Research Institute (WRI).

“Through networking, we have more power to influence policymakers to make more pro-people policies,” said Farma Mangunsong, from the PRN Secretariat.

The network of research institutions offers a lot of advantages, such as capacity building support, access to information, and assistance on dissemination of research results.

To become a member of the Policy Research Network, please contact: Farma Mangunsong at farma.mangunsong@yahoo.com

Institute for Research and Empowerment, “Deepening the Democracy in Indonesia: Promoting Substantive Representation As A Model Regional Representatives Council (DPD) – Constituent Relations.”

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National Deforestation Issues Presented to Global Audience Participants at the World Bank Annual Conference on Land and Poverty were alarmed to learn that that Indonesia’s forests decreased from 1.185 million sq km in 1990 to 0.937 million sq km in 2011 (World Development Indicators, 2013), and that changes in governance have contributed to this decline. The Institute of Economic and Social Research in the University of Indonesia’s Faculty of Economics (LPEM FEUI) presented the results of their research

titled “Deforestation in Decentralized and Democratic Indonesia” at the World Bank conference on March 24, 2014, in Washington, D.C., USA. Vid Adrison, the research team leader, disclosed that government decentralization, particularly in the area of forestry management, has led to higher deforestation rates in the country.

A greater number of officials overseeing forestry management contributes to a lack of clarity on the regulations and variances

in their interpretation at the sub-national level. There are also contradictions between national and local level regulations that need to be harmonized. These factors increase opportunities for corruption and the misuse of forests. The think tank also recommended steps to improve forestry and natural resource management in Indonesia as well as ways to promote good governance within the system.

Learning from South Korea About Stronger Budget Scrutiny Seven division heads from the Indonesian Bureau of Budget Analysis and State Budget Implementation from the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) learned about stronger budget scrutiny from the National Assembly Budget Office of South Korea this March.

Considered by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to be a successful institution with strong staff members, NABO welcomed the Indonesian delegates and hosted a fruitful discussion with their representatives and as well as those from the National Assembly Special Committee on Budget, Planning and Coordination Office, Library of National Assembly, and National Assembly of the Republic of Korea. In South Korea’s experience, the Budget Office has contributed to a better and more transparent parliament and government as it functions as the “watchdog” of state finances, ensuring the state’s money is used to improve the welfare of the people. Lessons learned from this study visit support the DPR in their obligation to oversee state finances.

DPR budget professionals used this experience to build on knowledge gained from earlier ProRep-supported learning exchanges. The most recent involved ProRep legislative budget specialists Richard Emery and Brad Williams in January of this year. Emery and Williams shared their experience from working in the Budget Offices of the US Congress and State of California and provided information on the topics of macroeconomic forecasting, state budget analysis, cost estimation, government revenue analysis, and methods for incorporating the Supreme Audit Board’s report analysis into the next year’s state budget debate at the DPR.

DPR budget experts are welcomed by the head of the South Korean National Assembly Budget Office (NABO) and by NABO staff. During the discussion, NABO leaders stated that they would like to help the DPR to establish the Budget Office if Indonesia desires their assistance. Lessons learned from this study visit support the DPR in their obligation to oversee state finances.

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A community leader is leading the evaluation meeting of a government-initiated project in Brebes, Central Java.

ProRep supports its partner, the Indonesia Budget Center (IBC) who has been building public participation in monitoring the DPR’s actions and performance.

Accountability Is a Two-way Street Legislatures, by design, are the most open and transparent of the three branches of government. And the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR), the nation’s most powerful legislature, is obliged to be accountable and transparent to its citizens. In April the project was involved in two activities concerning legislative transparency and accountability: Public Monitoring of the DPR: Attempting to encourage public participation in monitoring the DPR’s actions and performance, ProRep’s partner, the Indonesia Budget Center (IBC), facilitated a session on April 7, 2014 on how the public can strategically participate in this monitoring process. A total of 33 participants representing CSOs, academics, DPR expert staff, and media professionals showed their commitment to this effort by participating in the session. The parties discussed a plan to increase public participation and develop an effective system that will allow the public to more effectively participate in the next period of the DPR. DPR Public Complaints System: In fulfilling its oversight responsibilities the DPR can benefit from information from citizens on the implementation of government

programs and the use of the state budget.

The DPR has a public complaints system in place designed to receive feedback from the public on such issues, but it lacks tracking features and there is little followup by DPR staff on the issues citizens have raised. This has contributed to the distrust the public feels towards the institution.

To help improve communication between citizens and their parliament, ProRep provided support to the Division of Public

A complaint or input from the people is precious and should be well recorded. Public aspirations have to be listened to and addressed, to be forwarded and fought for.

Poempida Hidayatullah, Member of Commission IX on Demographic Affairs, Health, Manpower, and Transmigration.

Complaints of the Secretariat General (SecGen) of DPR office to help them to evaluate and improve their current public complaints system. April 11-12 ProRep conducted a workshop where thirty-six DPR staff, including commission expert staff, faction expert staff, staff from non-jurisdictional committees (e.g., BALEG, BAKN) and the SecGen’s Public Complaints Division participated in a fruitful discussion on responding to and tracking public concerns. Participants drafted recommendations and developed an action plan for a more effective DPR public complaints and aspiration system, expected to enable the DPR to better address public concerns.

Speaking at the workshop, Poempida Hidayatullah, a member of Commission IX on Demographic Affairs, Health, Manpower, and Transmigration, stated, “The duties of the members of parliament include not only the three functions of parliament, but they are also responsible for representing public aspirations. A complaint or input from the people is precious and should be well recorded. Public aspirations have to be listened to and addressed, to be forwarded and fought for.”

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Indonesian institutions require effective strategic plans and skills if they are to encourage changes in government policies or improve their implementation. To assist them, earlier this year ProRep provided focused strategic planning assistance to civil society organization (CSO) partners Cakrawala Timur, AKSARA, the Indonesian Women’s Association of Kulon Progo (a union member of HAPSARI, the Association of Indonesian Women Unions), Muslimat NU, and Garut Governance Watch.

ProRep also trained 22 researchers from CSOs and universities on how to develop policy briefs to maximize their impact.

A woman, member of HAPSARI, taking notes while holding her baby, during the PADOCS workshop in Kulongprogro, Yogyakarta, last June. ProRep helps the organization to self-evaluate their performance and learn how to define stratetic priorities to further develop the organization and achieve their mission.

Institutional Transformation for Inclusive Policymaking Processes CSOs strengthen decisionmaking processes and plan for the future.

building on various existing tools for assessments and strategic planning.

Stronger, more effective civil society organizations can help promote transparency and accountability and aid Indonesia’s women, poor, and marginalized citizens to better access resources and convey their needs to government.

With a shared understanding of the organization’s purpose among board members, association members, and staff and strategic plan in place, day-to-day decision making and problem solving for these organizations will be directly related to their short-term and long-range goals. The organizations will also be more accountable to their members by aligning programs and resources to accomplish their mission in accordance with the plan.

This March and April, ProRep provided targeted coaching sessions for local CSOs Cakrawala Timur in East Java and Garut Governance Watch (GGW) in West Java on Participatory Analysis and Development of Organizational Capacity and Strategy (PADOCS). In May and June, ProRep also facilitated AKSARA from Yogyakarta, national Islamic women’s organization Muslimat NU, and the Indonesian Women’s Association of Kulon Progo, Yogyakarta to develop targeted plans for the future based on the strengths of their organizations. The PADOCS methodology was developed by the ProRep team,

and ensure that research findings are communicated in a clear and engaging way so that they reach their intended audience and achieve their intended impact. Through mentoring assistance, trainings, and peerto-peer exchanges via the Policy Research Network, ProRep is supporting Indonesian research institutions to sharpen their skills in communicating their policy research findings and recommendations, through informative policy briefs and other tools.

Policy researchers learn effective ways to reach target audience

In April, ProRep held a workshop on “Effective Writing for Policy Researchers” for 22 researchers from CSOs and universities.

Putting themselves in “the policymakers’ shoes,” the researchers learned new methods to frame their messages and present them in ways that can inspire policymakers to pay more attention to the issue. Participants brought their own policy briefs to the workshop and had the opportunity to re-craft and strengthen them, coached by Najib Azca, PhD of Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta.

Sound policy research can be an enormous benefit to the policy making process, by putting reliable evidence in the hands of decision makers so that they clearly understand the policy options and the impact of each. An ongoing challenge, however, is how to strengthen the interface between researchers and policymakers

CSOs and think tanks are key players in enhancing civic participation and evidencebased policymaking. ProRep continues to strengthen these two groups, while supporting their ability to effectively work with policymakers to address key policy constraints in Indonesia.

Useful links on strategic planning, organizational assessment, and communicating policy research: • Communicating research for evidence-based policymaking: A practical guide for researchers in socio-economic sciences and humanities: http://ec.europa.eu/research/social-sciences/pdf/guide-communicating-research_en.pdf • The Theory of Change: http://www.theoryofchange.org/what-is-theory-of-change/how-does-theory-of-change-work/when-to-use/#3 • Some tools from Civicus: (World Alliance for Citizen Participation): http://civicus.org/index.php/en/media-centre-129/toolkits • Capacity building tools from Root Change: http://www.rootchange.org/our_approach/capacity_development.shtml

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Gender Discrimination: Can Indonesia Make This a Thing of the Past?

A woman is human.

She is not better, wiser, stronger, more intelligent, more creative, or more responsible than a man.

Likewise, she is never less.

Equality is a given.

A woman is human.

Vera Nazarian, The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration.

While the past few decades have helped reduce the gender gap in Indonesia, much more remains to be done. ProRep and its partners are committed to continuing this effort to achieve gender equality and female empowerment in Indonesia.

Gender equality – not there yet.

Three decades have passed since Indonesia ratified the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in 1984. Yet, contrary to the declaration, in this rapidly progressing country with over 240 million citizens, both rural and urban Indonesian women are still facing unequal treatment.

This is ironic, since based on World Bank 2011 data, women constitute over 50 percent of the country’s total population.

A recent report by the World Economic Forum showed that Indonesia ranked 95th out of 135 countries in terms of gender equality, while neighboring Philippines, which ratified the convention two years before Indonesia, the first country in ASEAN to do so, ranked 5th.

In Indonesia, discrimination against women is worsened by the misperception and stereotyping of women’s and men’s roles and responsibilities in the family and society. It begins in the family, the smallest unit of community, where women often do not enjoy equal status with men.

Frequently, women are not allowed to make decision for themselves, and men – 1

A woman walking down a village road while carrying food for door-to-door sale in Brebes, Central Java. Many Indonesian women do not have the same access to education as men. Later in life, they do not get the same pay for doing the same work, the same access to loans, the same economic opportunities, or the same right of property ownership as men. They also face violence at home and in the workplace and major reproductive health risks. ProRep and its partners are working to change this.

husbands, fathers, brothers – and society, make decisions for them. When women are young and single, especially in rural and remote areas, they are often not allowed the same access to education as men, or given the liberty to choose what they want to become when they grow up. Later in life they do not get the same pay for doing the same work, the same access to loans, the same economic opportunities, or the same right of property ownership as men. Arimbi Heroeputri, a commissioner on the National Commission on Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan), said Indonesians still view men as the breadwinners, and such views perpetuate the salary gap between men and women1.

More can be done to reduce maternal mortality.

Women carry an important reproductive role, often raise the children, and are the caretakers for the whole family. In addition to being “on call” 24-hours a day, many women are also their family’s primary or secondary breadwinner. They carry out these tasks simultaneously, balancing

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/taking-on-a-new-mindset-to-achieve-gender-equality/

the demands of each within limited time constraints. It is unfortunate that despite their fulfilling these multiple roles, women still face discrimination, making their lives that much more difficult.

While women’s reproductive role is inherent, it is the responsibility of all – family, society, and government – to provide proper support to ensure that women are cared for while carrying out this important role. Due to lack of access to health services, many women deliver babies at home assisted solely by traditional birth attendants. According to the Indonesian Demographic and Health Survey 2012, 63 percent of women and 69 percent of men have no health insurance, and approximately one out of 279 women die while giving birth. The World Bank reports that 63 out of 76 deaths occurred in home births assisted by traditional birth attendants. Indonesia is facing an enormous challenge to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of reducing the maternal mortality rate by over two-thirds by the end of 2015.

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Violence in the workplace – a harsh reality for too many women.

Approximately 28.07 million Indonesians, or around 11.37%, are considered poor and live on less than one dollar a day.1 Given this reality, many women are forced to find jobs in order to provide for their families, even as they struggle to find adequate health care.

Outside the home many women face another difficult reality.

Discriminated against economically, and underrepresented politically, women also endure violence and abuse. According to the National Commission on Violence against Women, reported cases of violence against women – mostly domestic violence – have multiplied four times over the past five years; from 25,522 cases in 2007 to 119,107 in 2011.2 Women suffer from violence not only at home, but also at work.

Female migrant workers are especially vulnerable. Worldwide, migrant women are half of the international migrant population. Living beyond the safety net of family and friends, these women are more vulnerable to exclusion, poverty, health

problems, exploitation, and violence. In Indonesia, since the economic crisis in 1997, the number of migrant workers reached 350,000 annually, of which more than 70 percent were women3. More than 90 percent of these women worked in the informal sector, mainly as domestic workers, and were vulnerable to abuse.

The Government has taken some measures to protect Indonesian workers abroad. In addition to putting in place memoranda of understanding with receiving countries, the GOI also works to improve recruitment and placement system and has established training centers to give migrant workers skills to adjust better in their destination country.

However, an important piece of legislation – the bill on protection and placement of Indonesian workers abroad has been part of the National Legislative Agenda (Prolegnas) since 2010, and been at a standstill in the deliberation phase for the past two years.

Domestic workers in Indonesia, mainly women, face a similar plight. The National

Labor Force Survey (Sakernas) recorded 2.6 million domestic workers in 2012, over 75 percent female. Several cases of abuse have been exposed and the perpetrators brought to trial. In December 2013, a female domestic worker Siti Nur Amalah was saved from four-months of starvation, sexual abuse, and regular beatings from her employer in Jakarta4. In 2010, a female child domestic worker, Kaminah was repeatedly beaten by her employer in Tangerang, Banten. The worst beating received was with 30-centimeters long serrated blade.5 The National Network for Domestic Workers Advocacy in Indonesia (Jala PRT) states that from 2007 to 2011 there have been 536 cases of unpaid wages (348 of these for underage domestic workers) and 617 cases of confinement, assault resulting in severe injuries, and even death. The draft law on protection of domestic workers has entered the Prolegnas since 2010, but to date this legislation has not been made a priority in parliament and has not yet been enacted6.

Strengthening political representation for women - a key to achieving gender equality.

What can be done to better address these issues of gender inequality? Many experts believe that increasing the number of women to national-level decision-making positions will increase the likelihood that issues such as those described above will be addressed. Greater numbers of women representatives in the parliament will help ensure that women’s perspectives are considered in the policy-making process.

More women will have their voices heard, their thoughts and ideas considered, and their views reflected in major political reform.

Progress has been made. In 2001, for example, Indonesia became the second democratic country in Southeast Asia to elect a woman president. But despite this breakthrough, Indonesian women are still significantly under-represented in

public and political life, and in decisionmaking positions at both the national and local levels. The Global Gender Gap report ranked Indonesia number 75 out of 135 countries in terms of political empowerment for women7.

In Indonesia’s April 2014 parliamentary election, the number of women legislative candidates reached 37% or 2,467, exceeding the 30% requirement stated in article 55 of the Electoral Law (Law No. 10/2008). Yet only 97 women were elected, 17 percent of 560 parliamentary representatives – a drop from the 101 female candidates elected to the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) for the 2009-2014 period8. The previous edition of the ProRep Newsletter featured the work of partner Women Research Institute in identifying factors that

hinder women’s political representation in parliament. Their study revealed that political decentralization in Indonesia might have adversely affected gender equality, as the commitment of local governments to gender issues could be significantly weaker than at the national level. As the country has become decentralized, numerous local laws and regulations have been enacted that breach women’s basic rights. (See fact box to the right) At the national level, the government has enacted a number of policies and regulations to improve the quality of life for women in many aspects.

Yet, challenges and gaps in the implementation of these policies remain and important policy agendas linger, including the three draft laws listed in

Indonesia - Demographic and Health Survey 2012 http://www.komnasperempuan.or.id/en/2012/07/press-release-commemorating-28-years-of-ratification-of-the-convention-on-the-elimination-of-all-forms-of-discrimination-against-women/ 3 Country report on CEDAW, http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N05/404/18/PDF/N0540418.pdf?OpenElement 4 http://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/indonesia-exploited-domestic-workers-urgently-need-legal-protection-2014-02 5 http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/02/16/government-urged-protect-child-domestic-workers.html 6 http://www.voaindonesia.com/content/peraturan-soal-perlindungan-prt-sangat-penting-untuk-cegah-kekerasan/1856421.html 7 This sub-index measures the gap between men and women at the highest level of political decision-making, through the ratio of women to men in minister-level positions and the ratio of women to men in parliamentary positions. In addition, we include the ratio of women to men in terms of years in executive office (prime minister or president) for the last 50 years.

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ProRep Helps Empower Indonesian Women by Supporting:  Jakarta-based think tank Prakarsa, in collaboration with East Nusa Tenggara-based CSO PIAR, to conduct research and advocacy on the implementation of the government’s Free Birth Delivery for All program called Jaminan Persalinan (Jampersal) in East Nusa Tenggara.

The research revealed that one of the main reasons women are not reaping the full benefits from the program is that they cannot afford to pay transportation to bring them to health facilities. The full research report is available here: http://bit.ly/1pIWkxJ

An abused former migrant worker and her daughter in Blitar, East Java.

With support from ProRep, Cakrawala Timur works on improving the capacity of former migrant workers in Blitar Municipality, Blitar and Tulungagung Districts to communicate their concerns to policymakers.

the current 2010-2014 period Prolegnas on 1) gender equality, 2) midwives, and 3) sexual harassment. The window is closing for legislation proposed in this period’s Prolegnas, as for any bills not passed by September 30, 2014, there is no guarantee that they will be included in Prolegnas 2015-2019, once the new parliament members are instated. Even if they make it into the new Prolegnas, they will take several steps backward, and start the deliberation process from the very beginning stage.

At the end of 2013 there were 342 laws and regulations which discriminate against women, up from 154 in 2009. These laws and regulations attempt to control women’s bodies, their professions, and their legal status, among others. These acts have been implemented in 141 regencies and cities across 30 provinces. An example of discriminatory legislation is the Marriage Act of 1974 which includes patriarchal stereotypes on the roles and responsibilities of women and men in the family and society. It defines men as the breadwinners and requires women to obtain their husband’s approval to take night employment.

Source: Komnas Perempuan

 Aisyiyah, an Islamic women’s organization, to strengthen the role of women leaders in Yogyakarta to advocate for central budget allocation for maternity insurance programs and planned-parenthood services through the utilization of information and communications technology (ICT). The organization also conducted an analysis of the reproductive health budget and provided recommendations to the related DPR commissions. The policy brief is available here: http://bit.ly/1rCGxVQ  Women’s Association of Small Business Assistance (ASPPUK) and the Association of Indonesia Women Unions (HAPSARI) to improve women’s economic conditions by helping them access low-interest small loans, promoting pro-women policies, and training them to become more effective leaders. Several of these women have taken on new leadership roles, and are being asked to run for political office.

HAPSARI established three cooperatives in Central Java and one trading house in North Sumatera, while ASPPUK’s intense advocacy efforts resulted in a higher annual budget for health services in Central Java and equipment grants from the local office of the Ministry of Cooperatives valued at IDR 750 million to womenowned small businesses. Read more about HAPSARI’s work here: http://bit.ly/1ntGatb  Four organizations, the Indonesia Budget Center working with communities in Central Java, Garut Governance Watch (GGW) in West Java, AKSARA in Yogyakarta, and Cakrawala Timur in East Java, to educate people on their political rights and increase their political participation. GGW established a community forum called Riung Warga. IBC, AKSARA, and Cakrawala Timur worked to link constituents with their DPR members so that MPs can better respond to specific women issues and other issues faced by the community. Cakrawala Timur provided policy recommendations to policymakers to improve conditions faced by female migrant workers.

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ProRep | Newsletter Vol.2 2014

Snapshot of July Activities: •

Workshops on improving the management of the School Operational Assistance (BOS). The development of Schools with Transparent, Accountable, and Participatory Management or also known as Sekolah MANTAP is an initiative by Foundation of Integrated Efforts (YSKK) to improve BOS program management. A seminar-workshop on building partnerships to establish this type of school was conducted on July 2-3 in Solo. YSKK also held a workshop on optimizing the roles of school committees on July 15-17. School committees play an important role in monitoring the implementation of BOS.

•

Workshop on grand design of “Local Rice” (Rasda). The Institute for Promoting Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (InProSuLA) held the workshop in Yogyakarta on July 3-5. The “Local Rice” (Rasda) initiative is one of the proposed solutions to improve the “Rice for the Poor” (Raskin) government program. Following the workshop on “Local Rice” or Rasda, InProSuLA also met with the National Food Security Agency, the Ministry of Agriculture, and Commission IV DPR on Farming, Plantations, Forestry, Fisheries, and Food on July 17 and 20 in Jakarta to share the findings from the workshop.

•

Workshop on effective National Legislation Program (Prolegnas) for 2015-2019. This workshop was held on July 10-12 in Tangerang. As the new members of parliament will be inaugurated in October 2014, it is important for them to know the achievements, challenges, and weaknesses of the previous period to take into consideration when formulating the next period’s Prolegnas. This workshop will involve CSOs, think tanks, the Association of DPR Expert Staff (ATAP), the National Planning Development Board (Bappenas), and the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, and will help the DPR to understand the priority issues from a broad group of stakeholders.

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