Research papers, case studies,
situationers and other documents on women of East Timor, their
rights and their involvement in politics, governance and decision-making
Women's
Participation in the Constituent Assembly Election (2001)
On 30 August 2001, the people
of East Timor elected their Constituent Assembly composed of
88 members: 75 at the national level and 13 at the district
level (one representative for each district). This document
from the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)
tells us how the women of East Timor prepared for and actively
participated in the elections.
Related links
East
Timor: Build Women's Power: Development at the Rural Community
Level (2001)
Mana Micato, a founding member of the pioneering
women organization called Fokupers, shares with us her views
on how women of East Timor can participate in the national development
efforts. First, she dismissed the present development models
which reinforce patriarchal and urban-centered policies. Then
she recommended that we must question and eliminate the culture
of patriarchy in which women are dependent on men, passive and
lacking courage to take leadership. BAC
East
Timor: Women Face Uphill Struggle (2001)
The East Timor Women's Network, which comprises
15 grassroots organizations, is angry that women are being sidelined
in the transition to independence. Formed in March, the Women's
Network's first efforts was an attempt to ensure representation
of women on the country's National Council, a 34 member advisory
body to the United Nations Transitional Authority in East Timor.
When UNTAET encouraged nominations from women, the network nominated
three women who had roots in their communities and had all been
fighting for 24 years against Indonesia's occupation. But, UNTAET
ignored all three nominations and co-opted an expatriate, Milena
Perez, who has lived overseas for most of her life. More from
this feature. BAC
Will
there be independence for the women of East Timor? (2000)
Fokupers is an East Timorese organization working
for women's human rights and offering direct support to women
in need. Although many issues arise from the Indonesian occupation
and its aftermath, others parallel those confronting women around
the world. Fokupers has identified five main areas: education,
urban-rural inequalities, violence, rights in marriage and inheritance,
and discrimination in child rearing. Literacy rates of 36% for
women and 65% for men speak for the bias in education. Schooling
isn't free. Most educational investment is made in boys. To
educate a girl is seen as spending money on her future husband's
family. If girls are sent to school, it is usually for just
a few years. Standards of teaching are low and learning is by
rote. No analysis or questioning takes place so, if girls are
educated, it is in an atmosphere of acceptance. Higher education,
the key to women accessing roles of influence, is even less
accessible. Read more about the plight of the women in East
Timor in this feature article.
Women fight an uphill battle (2000)
In November
of 2000, five women considered to be "indecently" dressed were
chased by a mob of mainly young men near the Mercado Lama (Central
Market) in Dili. Four managed to hide in an NGO-run clinic,
which was then stoned by the mob. Another was dragged by the
mob to UN Civilian Police Headquarters. A Civpol officer from
Nepal, who tried to protect the women, was hit by rock and required
five stitches. This is just one of the many problems facing
women of East Timor, more from this news feature. BAC
Raping
the Future (1999)
Since their homeland was invaded in 1975, the
women of East Timor have felt the brunt of some of the Indonesian
military's most egregious human-rights violations: They have
been raped in the presence of family members, forced to marry
Indonesian soldiers, subjected to torture by electric shock,
sexually abused, and forcibly sterilized. More on this 1999
feature from Mojowire.
Women
and Armed Conflict (1998)
The Asian and Pacific Development Centre (APDC) Gender and Development
Programme has written this brief paper as part of its Post-Beijing
implementation activities. APDC has chosen to focus on the issues
of women in situations of armed conflict and refugee women because
these have been only marginally addressed in the Asia-Pacific
regional lobbying and advocacy activities on the Beijing Platform
for Action and are relatively absent in the gender and development
debate in the Asia-Pacific region. The paper is written based
on reports received from women and women's organizations. This
report focuses on the following themes: violence against women,
livelihood and basic needs, reproductive health, education and
women and peace initiatives.
From
One Day To Another: Violations of Women's Reproductive and Sexual
Rights in East Timor (1997)
This report examines human rights abuses perpetrated against
women in East Timor in the implementation of the Indonesian
national family planning program, Keluarga Berencana Nasional
(KB). It investigates long-standing allegations that the Indonesian
government has used both the KB program and the government health
system to covertly sterilize East Timorese women. It also examines
reports of coercive recruitment practices and the covert use
of injectable hormonal contraceptives. In addition to its main
focus, the report also examines other kinds of violations of
women's sexual and reproductive rights in East Timor. The report
is based upon evidence gathered from on-site fact-finding in
East Timor, as well as research and interviews conducted in
Indonesia, Australia, and the U.S.
East
Timorese Women
This feature article tells us about the roles played by the
women of East Timor since the struggle for independence from
Indonesia started in 1975. They have taken the roles of commanders
of detachments and they are the ones smuggling messages in and
out of the country thereby acting as links between East Timor
and the rest of the free world. More from this article.BAC
