Monica Felton (WIDF Vice-President) writes in 1954 on the Second Congress of Gerwani, which she attended: 349 delegates, 80,000 members, a meeting with President Sukarno, resolutions on West Irian, the 1955 elections, a nationwide marriage law, democratic rights and support for the government against armed gangs. She s
De Vrije Pers report (3 Apr 1954) on the press conference after the second Gerwis congress (Jakarta, 25-31 March 1954). Gerwis changed its name to Gerwani, dropping "Sedar" after criticism; it opposed the demonstration ban and arrests of labour organisers, urged a marriage law against forced marriage, would field no ow
De Vrije Pers report (3 Apr 1954) on the press conference after the second Gerwis congress (Jakarta, 25-31 March 1954). Gerwis changed its name to Gerwani, dropping "Sedar" after criticism; it opposed the demonstration ban and arrests of labour organisers, urged a marriage law against forced marriage, would field no ow
FBIS item (25 Sep 1954): on 24 September three Indonesian women who recently visited the Soviet Union lectured on their impressions: social care of women, workers, equal rights, absence of prostitution and marriage legislation. The meeting, sponsored by Gerwani, drew a large audience of women and trade unionists. Shows
Whole newspaper page, Indische Courant voor Nederland, c. 1-4 Dec 1954 (columns interleaved). Gerwani-relevant item: Bandung branch congress backs Maisuri, opposes forced marriage and 'immoral' films, supports the Ali cabinet. Other articles: PRN women's congress, no-confidence motion, West Irian at the UN, Bogor confe
The Observer, 16 Jan 1955, p.7, Rawle Knox, 'Djakarta Postpones the Evil Day': impressionistic report from Jakarta on a lively, disorderly capital, the Ali Sastroamidjojo government's dependence on Communist support, Sukarno's drift from impartiality, the delayed first election and anti-Dutch boycotts. A passing quote
Whole scrambled page of De Locomotief, 30 Nov 1955, with the fullest text of Gerwani's four-point marriage programme for the Constituante: no coercion, abolition of child, forced and purchase marriages and mistresses, polygamy forbidden in principle, divorce open to both sexes before a court and support for divorced wo
Umi Sardjono's general report for the Gerwani DPP Executive to the 3rd DPP Plenary (16-19 June 1956), published by DPP Gerwani. Reviews the 1955 election campaign (23,480 new Gerwani workers; five Gerwani members elected, including Umi Sardjono and Salawati), marriage-law and anti-polygamy casework (86 of 115 cases res
Brochure of Umi Sardjono's general report to the Third DPP Plenum of Gerwani, 16–19 June 1956. Reviews election work, marriage-law cases, peasant women's wage struggles, kindergartens, peace and WIDF work, membership and cadre education, in the setting of Bandung and the 1955 elections.
1956 page of speeches to the WIDF Council: Teng Ying-chao (China), Hajrah Begum (India) and Suharti, Gerwani Vice-President and MP. Suharti reports Gerwani membership grew from 281,000 to 565,147, its cooperation at the Palembang Women's Congress (March 1955), International Children's Day events, and delegations demand
1956 WIDF bulletin item on Indonesia: the Gerwani Central Council's report on cooperation with other women's organisations, overcoming mistrust, membership rising from 281,000 to 565,147, local marriage-rights actions, rural work with peasant groups, the All-Indonesia Women's Congress adopting Gerwani's proposed Charte
De Nieuwsgier item (5 Jan 1956) on a Gerwani statement about Fatmawati Sukarno's divorce request: Gerwani calls it a private matter, defends free democratic marriage, regrets that certain parties exploited it to undermine national unity and the president's name, and uses it to demand a democratic marriage law.
Java-Bode, 5 January 1956, p. 2: Gerwani general chair Umi Sardjono tells the press Gerwani regrets that certain groups have systematically pressed Fatmawati Sukarno to seek divorce, serving colonial aims of splitting national unity and besmirching the president. She calls the divorce a private matter and says Gerwani
Whole-page OCR of Java-Bode, 5 January 1956, p. 2. Gerwani-relevant is Umi Sardjono's statement on Fatmawati's divorce request, urging a democratic marriage law, plus press reports on Fatmawati, Hartini and women leaders' reactions to a president with two wives. Other articles (Colonel Lubis on security, Ceramese ex-KN
Indische Courant voor Nederland, 14 Jan 1956, p. 1: Gerwani chair Umi Sardjono tells the press that groups are pressing Fatmawati Sukarno to seek divorce for political ends, calls it a private matter, upholds marriage without compulsion and demands a democratic marriage law. Also repeats press reports on Fatmawati, Har
Bintang Timur (Jakarta daily), 17 April 1956, full issue. The Gerwani-relevant item is a report on the DPR debate on the Ali Sastroamidjojo cabinet programme, in which Umi Sardjono (Fraksi Pembangunan) objects to a verdict punishing Maisuri for refusing a forced customary marriage and demands abolition of feudal remnan
Java-Bode, 14 August 1956, p. 2: Fatmawati Sukarno arrives in Surabaya after visiting her mother-in-law in Blitar with daughters Megawati and Sukmawati, calling it a family visit. Representatives of Gerwani's Surabaya branch handed her a resolution raising the Atamimi question; she did not answer whether she would go w
US Monthly Indonesian Press Survey (1957) extracts: a Central Borneo women's committee, including Gerwani, backing Sukarno's Concept and asking that marriage law be prioritised; Kowani's Fourth Congress (Surabaya) with Mudigdio of Gerwani as treasurer; Muljani as Central Java Gerwani chair; new North Sumatra and Jakart
Hungarian women's magazine Dolgozó Nő, 1 May 1957. Short piece on the Indonesian women's movement 'Gerwani': women can now vote and stand for parliament (17 women candidates, 40 women officials), its educational work helped force a parliamentary resolution against H-bomb tests, women face cheap labour, no marriage law,
Part I of Sulami's 1959 history of the Indonesian women's movement in WIDF's magazine: Kartini, Putri Merdika (1912), Wanita Sedar, the 1928 Women's Congress, the Congress League of Indonesian Women, and demands on marriage, education and voting rights through 1941, with PKI influence noted after 1920. Prefaces the bir
Part III of Sulami's 1959 history: KOWANI conflicts and 1948 Solo congress, founding of Gerwis at Semarang (4 June 1950), its 1954 renaming as Gerwani, structure with six commissions, membership growth (6,000 Java 1951; 642,460 in January 1957; 700,000 at the Third Congress, Solo, Dec 1957), 1955 election results (5 MP
Suara Tani (BTI organ), special 10th-anniversary issue, January 1959, OCR noisy. Contains greetings from ministers, army chief Nasution and Gerwani; BTI New Year message; agrarian seminar results; BTI membership table (3.39 million); exposés of landlord exploitation in Java. On p. 5 Gerwani's national leadership (claim
Tribune (Sydney), 18 Feb 1959, p. 4: brief Jakarta dispatch reporting that Gerwani, 'the influential Indonesian women's organisation', called on women to struggle for a democratic marriage law and demanded the Constituent Assembly guarantee women equal political, economic, social and family rights, as Parliament prepar
Tribune (Sydney), 18 Feb 1959, p. 4: brief Jakarta dispatch reporting that Gerwani, 'the influential Indonesian women's organisation', called on women to struggle for a democratic marriage law and demanded the Constituent Assembly guarantee women equal political, economic, social and family rights, as Parliament prepar
Pravda no. 82, 22 March 1960 (full issue). Page 3 carries T. Tairova's account of Khrushchev's Asian tour (India, Indonesia, Burma, Afghanistan). Only a short passage concerns Indonesia's women: she describes Gerwani as the largest progressive women's organisation, with hundreds of thousands of members, led by Umi Sard
Pravda no. 82, 22 March 1960 (excerpt of the page). Page 3 carries T. Tairova's account of Khrushchev's Asian tour (India, Indonesia, Burma, Afghanistan). Only a short passage concerns Indonesia's women: she describes Gerwani as the largest progressive women's organisation, with hundreds of thousands of members, led by
DPP Gerwani booklet with the 33-point Program Perdjuangan ratified at the Fourth Congress (Jakarta, December 1961), revising the 1957 Solo program. Keeps demands for women village heads, a democratic marriage law and price control; claims over one million members and sets three slogans.
Article by Hurustiati Subandrio (1961) reviewing women's activity at the start of 1961. She lists the Gerwani-organised National Seminar of Peasant Women (17-20 January, Gedung Wanita, Jakarta), the Asian-African Women's Conference in Cairo, and preparations for the Indonesian Women's Congress (6-8 February). She links
Donald Hindley's 1961 ANU PhD thesis on the Indonesian Communist Party under the Aidit leadership, 1951-1961, covering PKI strategy, party-building, finances, mass organisations and elections. Section 'Women' (pp. 422-448, esp. 'Gerwani', pp. 428-441) traces Gerwis from its founding on 4 June 1950 (about 500 members) t
US Embassy Djakarta despatches to the State Department, May 1961. One reports conservative views (Mohammad Roem) that the PKI won a limited victory by gaining legal recognition. The other reports the SOBSI National Seminar on Labouring Women (Jakarta, 11-14 May 1961), attended by Djuanda and Gerwani central board membe