Indigenous Papuan Women (Jubi)
Jayapura, 2/1 (Jubi) – Indigenous Women Human Rights Network state the indigenous women have increasingly marginalized from market competition. Further, FienJarangga, the coordinator of TIKI’ Indigenous Women Human Rights Network, several factors have been created this current situation ranging from the domination of market competitor, the shrinking of access to economic, the deprivation of natural resources and the economic symbol of indigenous women and the weakening of the entrepreneurship motivation.
“Activists of Anti-violence and Women Rights Community in Biak, Merauke and Wamena reported that Indigenous Papuan Women who sell the products of farm and forest facing the severe economic competition and gradually lost in this competition to win the market consumers. The indigenous women traders in Merauke and Wamena are not facing the competition with Non-Papua traders who are dominating the traditional markets, but also have to compete with other traders from highland area that are well-known with their strong commitment and better skills in selling their products,” said FienJarangga, Thursday (2/1)
According to her, the Indigenous Women Community and Women Human Rights activist in Biak, Keerom, Timika and Wamena further reported the indigenous women traders have began slightly lost access over the betel nut. The betel nut was become the economic symbol of indigenous women traders, and now it has monopolized by Non-Papuan traders who greater in financing and have better skills in trading including the knowledge on market distribution of betel nut and plantation.
“To women traders, the lost of access over the betel nut trading does not only mean the lost of their economic resources, but also the lost of plantation of betel nut and deprivation of their cultural identity,” said Jarangga.
Further, women activist and leaders of indigenous women association from Keerom, Abepura and Manokwari reported the numerous cases of the selling of stalls or selling tables by indigenous women traders to non-Papuan traders. Though the reason behind the waiver of stalls or tables was still in investigation, the local women activists and women leaders were deplored this phenomenon and saw that it was the sign of the weakening of entrepreneurship motivation and skills among the most of indigenous women entrepreneurs.
“The abandonment of the fundamental rights of women survivors of state violence. The condition of the survivors have not changed, still neglected and stigmatized. Some of them are inedible sickness and increasingly frail because of age. It was reported by the Community of Survivors and Human Rights Defenders from Biak, Genyem, Keerom, Manokwari, Merauke, Sarmi, Timika and Wasior,” said Yarangga.
Meanwhile, according to Ms. Rika Monim, the Head of Women Empowerment and Child Protection Bureau Province Papua, up to now the prevalent of domestic violence is still high in Papua.
“Considering that the number of domestic violence cases in Papua are still quite high, I appeal to the women, community as well as men to protect the rights of woman and child in the community. To the women, who in particularly domicile in Province Papua, if there was a domestic violence case either against to mother or child, please come to the service centre of Woman Empowerment and Child Protection Bureau, which is the Integrated Service Centre for Women and Children (PusatPelayananTerpaduPerempuandanAnak/P2TPA) that located in Kotaraja or just directly coming to the office of the Provincial Bureau of Woman Empowerment and Child Protection,” said Ms.Monim. (Jubi/Arjuna/P. Maizier)
