Annie Pohlman

Women, sexual violence and the Indonesian killings of 1965-66

The Indonesian massacres of 1965-1966 claimed the lives of an estimated half a million men, women and children. Histories of this period of mass violence in Indonesias past have focused almost exclusively on top-level political and military actors, their roles in the violence, and their movements and mobilization of perpetrators. Based on extensive interviews with women survivors of the massacres and detention camps, this book provides the first in-depth analysis of sexualised forms of violence perpetrated against women and girl victims during this period. It looks at the stories of individual women caught up in the massacres and mass arrests, focusing on their testimonies and their experiences of violence and survival. The book aims not only to redress the lack of scholarly attention but also to provide significant new analysis on the gendered and gendering effects of sexual violence against women and girls in situations of genocidal violence.

Testimonio and Telling Women's Narratives of Genocide, Torture and Political Imprisonment in Post-Suharto Indonesia

To date, there has been no official investigation into or redress of the Indonesian killings of 1965–66 and the mass political detention of citizens under General Suhartos New Order (1966–98). I argue that non-legal arenas must be explored for the documentation and circulation of testimonies by those who survived these events. As part of a larger project which aims to document, analyse and present the experiences of women during the killings and subsequent political detention, I outline two aspects of this documentation process. First, I adopt testimonio as both a political and analytical framework to argue that certain aspects of testimonio are essential to the continuing negotiations over who can speak, about what, and with what result in post-Suharto Indonesia. Second, I analyse a number of discursive strategies found within the narratives to highlight some of the issues which permit or proscribe the articulation of certain stories.

Janda PKI: stigma and sexual violence against communist widows following the 1965–1966 massacres in Indonesia

ABSTRACT This article explores the relationship between the derogatory social constructions and the sexual violence against janda in Indonesia with regard to the experiences of women who were widowed during the 1965 massacres. At that time an estimated 500,000 people were killed for their alleged ties to the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI). Specifically, it examines how discourses which stigmatise janda as sexually available and/or promiscuous were compounded by the demonisation of women connected with the PKI as dangerous and sexually voracious. By examining the testimonies of women widowed by the death, disappearance or imprisonment of their husbands during the massacres, I argue that janda PKI were subject to two forms of stigmatisation, based on their status as janda and on their connection with the PKI. This was manifest in the sexually predatory behaviours from men in their communities, particularly from the local security forces and militia groups who had taken part in the massacres. By emphasising the political aspects of gender politics which congregate around the extremely derogatory constructions of janda PKI, I articulate how the gendered and sexualised bodies of janda were also politicised and, as a result of the Indonesian militarys anti-communist propaganda, made abject in their sexualisation.

A year of truth and the possibilities for reconciliation in Indonesia

Since the end of the New Order military regime in 1998, successive Indonesian administrations have yet deal with crimes against humanity perpetrated by the old regime, particularly the 1965–1966 massacres. Attempts for reconciliation have mainly come from grass-roots organizations which employ oral historical methods to both document these crimes and to serve as the basis for claims of truth-telling about the past. In this paper, I examine the work of some of these grass-roots organizations and, in particular, the ‘Year of Truth’ initiative. I outline the ‘Hearing Testimony’ forum held in November 2013 and contrast this work with the failed attempts at the national level to deal

The spectre of Communist women, sexual violence and citizenship in Indonesia

In this article, the author examines sexual violence against women during a period of mass social conflict and reflects on how this violence continues to affect sexual and political citizenship in modern Indonesia. The demonization and destruction of a particular group of Communist women, known as ‘Gerwani’, during the mass killings of 1965–1966 created an on-going, pathological discourse about politically active women as gendered and sexual ‘others’ in Indonesia. The reconfiguration of bodies through sexual violence during that period continues to shape gender ideology and sexual politics in Indonesia, particularly through the prescription of more traditional, heteronormative roles for women’s political participation. This negative association with sexuality and sexual violence affects the possibilities for women’s active citizenship in post-New Order Indonesia, and renders it difficult for women to claim sexual autonomy or sexual citizenship.

Evaluation of Complementary-Alternative Medicine (CAM) questionnaire development for Indonesian clinical psychologists: a pilot study

This study aimed to evaluate questionnaire development to measure the knowledge of Complementary-Alternative Medicine (CAM), attitudes towards CAM, CAM experiences, and CAM educational needs of clinical psychologists in Indonesia. A 26-item questionnaire was developed through an extensive literature search. Data was obtained from provisional psychologists from the Master of Professional Clinical Psychology programs at two established public universities in urban areas of Indonesia. To validate the questionnaire, panel reviews by executive members of the Indonesian Clinical Psychology Association (ICPA), experts in health psychology, and experts in public health and CAM provided their professional judgements. The self-reporting questionnaire consisted of four scales including: knowledge of CAM (6 items), attitudes towards CAM (10 items), CAM experiences (4 items), and CAM educational needs (6 items). All scales, except CAM Experiences, were assessed on a 7-point Likert scale. Sixty provisional psychologists were eligible to complete the questionnaire with a response rate of 73% (N=44). The results showed that the CAM questionnaire was reliable (Cronbachs coefficient alpha range=0.62-0.96; item-total correlation range=0.14-0.92) and demonstrated content validity. Following further psychometric evaluation, the CAM questionnaire may provide the evidence-based information to inform the education and practice of Indonesian clinical psychologists.

A case for genocide: Indonesia, 1965-1966

This chapter makes the argument that the violence of 1965–1966 in Indonesia should be understood as a case of genocide. Melvin and Pohlman canvass key debates across the field of genocide studies related to the use of the term “genocide” taking up evolving debates around the UN convention and recent and expanded reconsiderations of the term to make the case. They position the eradication of the Indonesian Left as a key case study within genocide studies.

Two Women’s Testimonies of Sexual Violence During the 1965–1966 Indonesian Massacres

This chapter investigates some of the gendered forms of violence perpetrated during the Indonesian genocide of 1965–1966. Specifically, it examines the accounts of two women from West Sumatra, Ibu Jusufa and Ibu Tati, in which they discuss their experiences of this violence. In their testimonies, they gave witness to a range of sexual and gender-based violence, including rape, sexual harassment and assault, forms of sexual enslavement, and pregnancy as a result of rape. Pohlman argues that these women’s stories of violence and survival during the Indonesian killings can contribute to wider research paradigms into gendered experiences of violence during genocide, mass atrocities and other forms of mass conflict.

New Interpretations of the Causes, Dynamics and Legacies of the Indonesian Genocide

This chapter introduces the volume the Indonesian Genocide of 1965: Causes, Dynamics and Legacies. McGregor, Melvin and Pohlman lay out the background to the 1965 violence and its general features including mass killings and arrests. They set up the new analyses offered throughout the volume by outlining key factors that contributed to the violence, providing an overview of the variety of actors and institutions that participated in or experienced the violence and reflecting on the ongoing effects of the violence, especially as regards intergenerational memory and efforts to achieve justice.

After 1965: Legal Matters for Justice?

This chapter examines the legal mechanisms for dealing with human rights abuses committed during 1965–1966, particularly those established under Reformasi since 1998. It analyzes the formal obligations of the Indonesian government as dictated by the provisions of Indonesian law and Indonesia’s ratification of international human rights instruments. Evanty and Pohlman assess some of the gaps between these new laws and their implementation, including the failed 2004 Truth and Reconciliation Legislation, the decision not to follow up the 2012 Report by the National Commission of Human Rights, and the latest drafts of the revised Truth and Reconciliation Commission Legislation. Across the five presidencies since Suharto, Evanty and Pohlman argue there has been diminishing support for legal measures for justice alongside persistent resistance to legal justice.