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Women’s Group Spread the Importance of Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights in Bengkulu

Suhartini (42), Chairperson of the Harapan Perempuan Group, which is assisted by the Women’s Crisis Centre (WCC Cahaya Perempuan) in Sumber Urip Village, Rejang Lebong Bengkulu, lends her support to sexual and reproductive health rights services to women in the region because the level of sexual violence and domestic violence is growing from year to year, and it is made worse by the  increasingly widespread incidence of early marriage due to a lack of understanding of sex education and the declining economy.

The start of the MAMPU Program, effective as of February 2015, has been very helpful in providing a forum to gather together the community in Sumber Urip village, Rejang Lebong, Bengkulu. The Harapan Perempuan group, which has twenty members, holds meetings on a regular basis in which the activities include arisan (a kind of social gathering), a savings and loans cooperative, and discussions about sexual and reproductive health rights issues. “The MAMPU program has really helped us in the process of strengthening the understanding of sexual and reproductive health rights among Harapan Perempuan Group members and therefore we are now able to disseminate the knowledge gained from the group meetings to our neighbours andfamilies,“ said Suhartini.

Group discussions about sexual and reproductive health rights usually include how to choose suitable contraceptives, the transmission of HIV, and a review of gender equality. In addition to being active in and serving as chairperson of the group, Suhartini is active in the PKK, PNPM and the Indonesian Red Cross. She also helps her husband farming and selling vegetables. Suhartini said that she has often been involved in village meetings and discussions with government officials in forums related to women’s issues in the region. In the near future, she and several important parties will be discussing the formulation of local regulations pertaining to the protection of women.

“In the near future, Harapan Perempuan group has scheduled a creative economy activity in every regular meeting, for example, making patchwork and upcycling waste,“ added Suhartini.

Some of the Harapan Perempuan group members are village midwives. They have a very important role in providing services related to sexual and reproductive health rights in Sumber Urip. One of them is Nyai Sri Fatmawati (30), a village midwife, usually referred to as Bidan Nyai. She opened a clinic in her home and is always ready to help those in need. Nyai also often shares her insights on health, especially reproductive health, with the Harapan Perempuan Group. Besides providing health services, Nyai is also a member of the Sibat Team (Community Based Disaster Preparedness). She and the Sibat team collect a variety of information related to the weather, endemic diseases, and they carry out disaster prevention simulations and provide evacuation route maps. Sibat was established in Sumber Urip because the village is in the proximity of an active volcano called Mount Kaba. “In every group discussion, in addition to the material on sexual and reproductive health rights and women’s leadership, the women also receive educational talks on creative economy and carry out disaster prevention simulations so that they can remain alert and, if at any time a disaster occurs, they won’t be shocked and will instead be ready to save themselves,“ Nyai explained.

According to Mardiana (31), leader of the Community Health Center (Puskesmas) in Selupu Rejang Sub-district, sexual and reproductive health rights services in Rejang Lebong are well implemented, with support from several clinics scattered in every village. The services include advocacy, counseling and empowerment of women in the creative economy as well as an understanding of gender equality. “In Sumber Urip village itself, there are four clinics that are ready to serve the public, including maternity clinic services and inpatient services,“ said Mardiana.

Mardiani (44), a member of the Harapan Perempuan Group, said that the public’s understanding of sexual and reproductive health rights in Rejang Lebong has improved a lot and people have begun to apply the knowledge they have gained in everyday life. “This is a significant change resulting from the frequent educational sessions on sexual and reproductive health rights issues, especially after the presence of the MAMPU Program, which has become key for the dissemination, because parties with direct interests have the opportunity to go directly to the grassroots in the delivery of a wide range of useful information for them,“ said Mardiani.

Mardiani, who serves as Commander of  Sibat PMI and as a Farmers’ Leader, wants to  dedicate her time and energy to work closely with fellow members of the Harapan Perempuan Group who are expected to help disseminate their knowledge and understanding of sexual and reproductive health rights and various issues related to women, in order that women around them also improve themselves.

Suhartini and the members of the Harapan Perempuan  Group continue training new women and involving young people in order that their mission to develop women in their village is achieved well. She and all members feel grateful that their activities and movement in disseminating the benefits related to sexual and reproductive health rights issues and disaster management program are protected by the authorities including local Village Government and the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD). “So, whatever we are doing, we are not doing it outside the formal procedure and not doing it alone. We are protected and our aspirations are really accommodated and carried out. Coordination between us is smooth and we give each other feedback. I hope the MAMPU program in our village will continue to run because it is an appropriate means of communication that reaches the grassroots,“ Suhartini concluded.