Policy Paper

WOMEN AND DECENTRALIZATION IN INDONESIA: BRINGING LOCAL GOVERNMENT CLOSER TO WOMEN?

The problems and challenges facing humanity are global but occur and have to be dealt with at the local level. Women have the equal right to freedom from poverty, discrimination, environmental degradation and insecurity. To fight these problems and to meet the challenges of sustainable human development, it is crucial that women be empowered and involved in local government as decision‑makers, planners and managers (article 9 of IULA Worldwide Declaration on Women in Local Government 1998).

By

Asima Yanty Siahaan

Summary

Based on Law 22/1999 on local government and decentralization, local governments in Indonesia have greater power and autonomy in deciding and conducting the development process at their regions. This new law is which is based on principle of democracy and equity is intended to increase the capacity of civil society and community participation by strengthening the position of the people’s representation in asking for accountability of the executive. However, local governments in North Sumatra face structural and cultural obstacles in realizing gender equity. The revival of local patriarchal values along with institutional constraints poses great challenges to women. Gender empowerment of North Sumatra declines from 62.5 (rank 7 in Indonesia in 1996) to 47.3 (rank 16 in 1999) (UNDP 2001). Gender inequity persists as reflected in the higher illiteracy rate among women (14.06%) compare to men (6.27%). Also, the labor force is still gender unequal since unemployment rate for women is higher (7.54%) than men (5.68%) (Perda 6/2001:131).

This paper argues that decentralization does not work in gender neutral framework. Process and structures of governance have always been gendered. Assuming that decentralization work in a gender neutral framework is dangerous for the realization of gender equity in Indonesia. Thus, in order for decentralization in Indonesia to realize gender equity needs the enforcement of rules that against gender discrimination along with the transformation of the agencies and structures. Without active involvement and cautious monitoring by civil society and women’s groups/NGOs to equalize gender relationship at the initial phase of decentralization, women will continuously marginalized through decentralization.

Policy recommendations

This policy paper sets 7 policy recommendations in transforming local governments’ agencies, structures and processes into gender sensitive local governance:

• 1. Local government should intensify its programs in gender consiousness raising and in reducing women’s multiple roles.

- Gender relation at the household influences women’s capabilities and opportunities to participate and to benefit from local governance. The patriarchal structures of the community contribute to the disproportionate share of responsibilities in care and housework related activities, communal and traditional obligation that women in North Sumatra have to carry. Thus, women have limited or no time to involve in community meeting or other public activities which are influential to local decision making.

- Decentralization allows the revitalization of local patriarchal values which strengthen the patriarchal structure of the community, thus threatening women’s empowerment program at the local level. Local governments need to play active role in reconstructing more gender equal community by disseminating information and persistently campaigning on women’s reproductive health aim at both men and women and that both men and women are responsible for women’s reproductive health.

- By emphasizing more on gender sensitivity of programs and service delivery such as women’s reproductive health centers, credit scheme for women, sanitation, and other welfare related programs aims to equalize gender relation, local governments have strategic role in deconstructing this inequalities.

- Education is one of the most effective instruments in socializing gender equity and just. Local government needs to integrate gender perspective into education curriculums at all level, especially at the primary level.

- Domestic violence occurs in many places in North Sumatra. They are not publicized since domestic violence is considered as family’s and community’s sin. Up to now, local governments have not given adequate attention to this serious violation of human rights.

- Absence of fear and protection provided by local government to ensure that each members of the community have equal right to security in fulfilling their rights, interests and needs is crucial in order for women to participate effectively in local governance. Therefore, local governments should immediately initiate campaigns against domestic violence and other gender related violence, establish crises centers and conducting treatment programs for victims of domestic violence.

- Local governments need to provide training for law enforcement personnel such as judges and police, in order to enable them to protect women’s rights (women from violence) better.

- Considering the strong influence of religion, culture and tradition within communities in North Sumatra, local governments should based their programs against domestic and other gender related violence on cultural and religious approach. In order to be effective, local governments need to collaborate with religious and traditional leaders (tokoh agama, tokoh masyarakat) and community based organizations in abolishing domestic and other gender related violence. Since women are usually more comfortable in discussing their problems and feelings with other women, special attention needs to be given in providing training and facilities for women’s groupings (religious groupings and self rotating credit scheme/ arisan) at the local level which enhance their capability in dealing with domestic violence.

• 2. Gender training should be aimed at enhancing gender sensitivity and in increasing capabilities of both women and men local government officials in providing services (gender responsive programs)

- The centralistic government system and development process prior to the implementation of Law 22/1999 on decentralization and local governance contribute to the lack of experiences and knowledge among local governments agencies in North Sumatra in managing gender equality policies and programs. Decentralization which assumes more power and responsibility of local governments in managing development process at the local level will be of disadvantage to women’s interests and needs if local policy makers and agencies are unaware of the significance of gender issues in local governance.

- Studies have shown that gender training in developing countries is a useful tool in challenging gender biases in development planning by improving women’s power while at the same time motivating men and women to implement gender sensitive planning (Bruyn 1995; Moser 1993).

-Up to now the existing gender trainings in North Sumatra are yet to sensitize local government. There is a wide spread confusion and misperception to concepts of gender and gender training among local government officials. Gender is equated with women, thus gender training is only for women. Strategic policy makers who are usually male, seldom attend gender trainings since they consider gender training are women’s affairs rather than as integrated component which is significant for local government achievement.

- In ensuring decision maker to attend training, gender training should be stated as obligatory to all local government officials and can be used as one of the indicators in evaluating local government officials’ achievement (career advancement). Special attention needs to be given to ensure that head of program formulation in each local government agencies has had gender training since they are key actors in designing local government’s policies and programs.

-Local government needs to involve and contribute in formulating the design and material of gender training so that this training will be relevant to local government needs and increase local government capability in formulating and implementing gender responsive policies and programs.

• 3. Local government must initiate and implement gender budget initiatives

- The structure of North Sumatra’s regional budget is yet to reflect gender sensitivity as can be seen in the decline of expenditures for women from Rp.22.471.967.000 (1998/1999) to Rp.16.552.878.00 (1999/2000) (BPS 2001) which constitutes less than 1% of the total actual expenditure of this region. This percentage in fact become smaller since this budget is also used to cover health, social welfare, child and adolescent programs. Thus, gender budget initiative is crucial to ensure that local government is accountable to gender equality by ensuring that both men and women as members of community receive equal and just proportion of local government’s resource allocation.

- This goes beyond providing separate budget for women (women specific budget) to understanding and assessing whether budget process and taxation have benefit both men and women, and that local government budget allocation will not disadvantaged women, instead it will improve women access to local government resources and services. Lessons from Philippine, South Africa and Australia show that gender sensitive budget help reduce gender inequalities and increase productivity.

- To strengthen local governments’ commitment to gender equality programs, local governments need to issue gender aware budget statement which include the provision of significant percentage for gender equality programs in the budget and mechanisms tool to monitor and review gender impacts of local government budget allocation on women’s access to resources and services.

- Gender budget initiative which integrates fund for women betterment in all local government’s programs and projects is more realistic and strategic than ‘women separate budget’ in 3 ways:

1. It avoids competition among local government agencies.

2. It increases the total of fund for women since it is integrated in all sector of local government, thus, ensuring the sustainability of budget for women’s betterment programs.

3. It increases attention to gender equality in budget allocation.

• 4. Participatory development planning in which local government involves women as beneficiaries is crucial in producing gender appropriate policy formulation and development design.

- Gender insensitivity of local government’s development design and approach in delivering services contribute to the failure of many of local government programs and projects in reaching out women as targets.

- Gender sensitive participatory development planning is beneficial for both local government and women. Women are expert in community development through their intimacy and experiences in dealing with the fulfillment of daily household and community needs. The involvement of women in designing local governments programs and the adoption of their practical and strategic interests and needs will increase cost effectiveness of these programs so as to enhance the achievement of local government’s service delivery in serving women’s interests and needs. At the same time it enhances women’s capacity and self confident to speak up for themselves.

- Participatory development mechanisms need to be sensitive to gender segregation, cultural practices and norms within the North Sumatra community. Considering the widespread shame and fear (malu and takut) among women to speak up in public, local government need to conduct sex segregated discussion group meetings with women at the grass roots.

- Increasing female service providers in reproductive health services centers and training local government service providers gender sensitivity will increase women’s attendance in using the facilities provided by local government.

5. Local government should put national and other policy on gender mainstreaming into effect.

- Many national documents on gender equality are yet to be realized by local governments. Based on GBHN (State Broad Outline Policy) 1999 and Law No. 25/2000 on National Development Program (Propenas 2000-2004), gender mainstreaming is considered as one of the strategies in realizing gender equity in Indonesia through gender mainstreaming in all aspects of development which involve government’s institutions and community organizations. More specifically, Inpres (Presidential Instruction) No.9/2000 has instructed government institutions at all level to conduct gender mainstreaming in planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development policies and programs. In 2004 it is hoped that 50% of policies, programs and regulating laws are gender responsive and that gender mainstreaming focal units operate in all provinces and minimally 50% in districts and cities.

- Law 22/1999 on decentralization in Indonesia reduces central government power in enforcing the implementation of these documents. Association of provincial, districts and regencies local government can play active and strategic role in ensuring that these gender equality documents will not be neglected by local governments by declaring gender equality as one of the visions and missions of local governments in North Sumatra.

- In order to be successful, gender mainstreaming needs closer cooperation among local government agencies and across the policy process in North Sumatra.

- PERDA (Regional regulation) of North Sumatra No.6/2001 on Regional Development Program (PROPEDA) 2001-2005 has recognized the importance of gender equity for North Sumatra’s development. In realizing this PERDA more effectively, local governments need to establish focal point for women’s empowerment in every level of local government. Up to now, women’s empowerment bureaus have only been established in North Sumatra province, Medan, Tarutung and Madina. Considering the most frequent argument of not establishing this focal point is the inadequacy of local government budget, focal unit in these areas can be integrated within local government section.

• 6. Continuous monitoring and evaluation is urgent in ensuring that local governments have been gender sensitive in their policy formulation, design and implementation.

- Lack of monitoring and evaluation to gender equality programs contribute to the underachievement and unsustainability of gender equality policies, institutions and programs. A report on the implementation of women’s empowerment program in North Sumatra (2000), reveals that only 5 of sub-districts in North Sumatra allocated more than 50% of the determined budget for Love the Mother movement (Gerakan Sayang Ibu) which aims at decreasing mothers and children death. Other sub-districts did not use this allocated budget at all. Consequently, maternal mortality rate remains high.

- Local governments need to develop gender sensitive indicators (benchmarking) to evaluate whether local government agencies have met their specific targets for gender equality.

- These gender indicators should be used in assessing local government agencies project proposals and in evaluating their performance in carrying out the proposed projects. Preferences should be given to gender sensitive project proposals and agencies that have successfully implemented gender responsive programs.

- In order to be effective, monitoring and evaluation need the provision of gender disaggregated data (gender statistics) so that policy makers will be more informed and enable them to produce and evaluate gender responsive programs and policies.

- In enhancing local governments’ accountability and transparency, revenue and expenditure auditing should be conducted in collaboration with NGOs and women’s organizations. To enable this local audit, local governments have to distribute information and report of evaluation to stakeholders in local governance. Collaborative audit will enhance local governments’ legitimacy and effectiveness in fulfilling their roles.

• 7. Local governments need to extend their collaboration with civil society including women’s community based organizations.

- Collaboration with NGOs and women’s community organizations in policy formulation, design, implementation and monitoring will enhance local governments’ legitimacy and cost effectiveness in service delivery.

- Local government should increases dialogue with public through public hearing and public forums and use these forums to raise public awareness on gender issues and to promote gender equality programs. Special attention needs to be given to conduct gender segregated public hearing.

- Local governments need to extend their collaboration and financial assistance beyond PKK (Women’s welfare movement) and Dharma Wanita (association of the wives of civil servants) to include women’s community based organizations, religious groupings and other informal women’s groupings at the grassroots level in which women more frequently participate in a relaxed and familiar situation to women.