Umah Ramah received another invitation to share knowledge on the issue of sexual violence in the Introduction of Campus Life to New Students (Pengenalan Kehidupan Kampus Mahasiswa Baru (PKKMB)) events, on Wednesday, September 27, 2023. The event entitled “Building Academic Culture in Islamic Boarding School Culture” was organized by College of Education Sciences (Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Tarbiyah (STIT)) Buntet Islamic Boarding School Cirebon.
A total of approximately 30 people attended this event. As the title suggests, the seminar participants attended came from new students of STIT Buntet Pesantren Cirebon.
The Director of Umah Ramah, Asih Widiyowati, delivered a number of materials on the issue of sexual violence, including: the meaning of sexual violence, forms of sexual violence, and the impact of sexual violence.
After the presentation, a number of participants asked questions. One of which asked was why sexual violence still occurs against women who wear cover-up clothing.
“Sexual violence can happen to anyone, regardless of what clothes they wear. Women who wear any clothes can become victims of sexual violence,” explained Asih.
Asih also explained that although clothing is not the cause of sexual violence, most people still blame the way women dress.
“This happens because in the construction of an unequal society, women will always be blamed. Not to mention in a society that continues to normalize sexual violence. Over time, this normalization becomes a rape culture,” she added.
Normalization of sexual violence usually occurs by considering sexual violence as a habitual ordinary acts. For example, forms of sexual violence such as cat-calling, sexist jokes, touching or teasing passers-by are too commonplace. When this all happened, people did not think it was actually a serious problem.
“People often respond to such acts (sexual violence) indifferently and casually: “Oh, that’s normal, it is just a harassment.” In fact, actions that are considered ‘trivial’ can create a conditioning where greater sexual violence occurs,” she emphasized the point. []
This article was translated by Napol Riel.