The Vulnerability to Intimate Partner Violence among Married Women in Indonesia

Seminar no. 1221
28 June 2023 Time 12.30 – 13.30 hrs.

Speaker: Ratu Matahari

Background: IPV is any activity inside an intimate relationship that causes physical, psychological, or sexual harm to one’s partner. It is a complex issue that is influenced by a variety of elements such as power imbalances, cultural norms, socioeconomic conditions, and individual qualities. IPV is a major public health concern that affects millions of women throughout the world. Women’s susceptibility to IPV is thought to be influenced by a number of individual, partner, and socioeconomic position, health, and community factors. Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, with Islam as the dominant religion. Muslim countries are diverse and differ in their social, cultural, and political contexts, but many share conservative social and cultural norms that place males in positions of power and women in submissive roles. These norms, especially IPV, can contribute to gender inequality and violence against women. Several studies have been conducted to investigate IPV risk factors related to socio-demography, but very little research has been found regarding IPV that is associated with cultural and/or religious values, including in Indonesia. The study on IPV in Indonesia are rarely conducted because it correlates with social standards that label women as subordinate individuals and the general public perceives that IPV as a member of the family embarrassment that should not be disclosed to other parities. Objective of the study: The objectives of the study is determine the factors associated to IPV, exploring the case distribution of IPV in Indonesia based on documentary study (desk review), and exploring the perception, experience, resilience of women to IPV. The embedded narrative methodology will employ in this study because various questions demand different types of data (qualitative and quantitative). Method: This study will explore a secondary data of Indonesia Demographic Health Survey (IDHS) 2012 and 2017 on married women in 15-49 years, IPV cases data in 2017-2022 from National Commission on the Elimination of Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan), and indepth interview among IPV victims. Benefit of the study:The findings of this study are likely to contribute to delivering IPV education to women, strengthening the case reporting system, and strengthening the synergy of the government, private sector, and non-governmental organizations in dealing with IPV instances in Indonesia.