Pro-women's policy advocacy movements in Indonesia: Struggles and reflections

The struggle of the Indonesian women’s movement to advocate for pro-women legislation during the period 1998 to 2017 has had significant achievements and lessons to demonstrate. This paper reports on how women’s groups organized themselves for policy advocacy under the Jaringan Kerja Prolegnas Pro Perempuan or JKP3 (the Network for Pro-Women National Legislation Programme) in the Reformation Era. This is based on literature review, observation and participation in various activities conducted by the network and an analysis of field notes and documents. The network faces significant obstacles and challenges from external parties, namely the government, legislators in parliament, and the general public. The obstacles and challenges faced include lack of concern and understanding about gender equality, rejection of pro-women perspectives, certain religious teachings which limit women’s rights or roles, lack of concern on the part of the bureaucracy and the political attitudes of legislators. Meanwhile, the network also faces various significant challenges of the internal dynamics among different groups. These lead us to identify significant lessons about approaches and strategies. The paper ends with discussion and recommendations for further advocacy work and research on pro-women policy advocacy.