Indonesian women's organisation demands introduction of a marriage law
De Waarheid, 16 Jan 1952, p. 5: correspondent report from Surabaya on Gerwis's annual congress (Dec 1951), whose main resolution demands a marriage law setting minimum ages (men 20, women 17) against widespread child marriage, and giving local women's organisations the role of monitoring compliance and prosecuting viol
Harian Rakjat, 7 July 1952: Mrs Mudigdio on attorney-general's secret circular; Wanita Demokrat rejects PP 19
Harian Rakjat, Jakarta, 7 July 1952 (full issue; pp. 2, 4 relevant). Ny. Mudigdo (Mudigdio), MP, questions the government about a secret Attorney-General circular of 1 February 1952 ordering tough action against 'press crimes'. P. 4 prints a resolution of Wanita Demokrat Indonesia opposing Government Regulation 19/1952
Harian Rakjat, 17 July 1952: Mrs Salawati Daud awarded a bicycle (South Sulawesi guerrilla)
Harian Rakjat, Jakarta, 17 July 1952 (full issue; p. 3 relevant). Reports that Ny. Salawati Daud received a motorised bicycle (bromfiets) as a token of honour for her role as an active woman guerrilla in South Sulawesi since the Japanese occupation. Elsewhere, Perwari and other women's groups reject Government Regulati
Umi Sardjono: 'Regulation no. 19 is still unjust' (Harian Rakjat, 23 July 1952)
Harian Rakjat, Jakarta, 23 July 1952 (full issue; p. 3 relevant). Article by Umi Sardjono on Government Regulation 19/1952 (widows' pensions): nearly all women's organisations object, some demanding repeal, others accepting pensions but opposing polygamy. She says the rules in effect encourage polygamy, and recalls tha
Imperialists and prostitution: Gerwis public meeting at East Java conference
De Vrije Pers report (2 Aug 1952) on a public meeting during the Gerwis East Java conference in Surabaya. Miss Sulami explained Gerwis as anti-imperialist and anti-capitalist, opposed the widows' pension rule as promoting polygamy, blamed polygamy on the lack of a marriage law and prostitution on imperialist-caused pov
Action against widows' pensions continues
De Locomotief, 14 Oct 1952, city news: a Semarang meeting of the committee rejecting Government Regulation 19/52 on widows' pensions for civil servants with multiple wives draws great interest from women's organisations. Twelve bodies including SOBSI, Lekra, Pemuda Rakjat and Gerwis reject the law and decide to continu
Against forced marriage (Gerwis conference, October 1953)
Het Nieuwsblad voor Sumatra (28 Oct 1953, p.2): at its 25 October conference the Jakarta women's organisation Gerwis resolved on 'Menteng 31' (supporting its return to youth but asking the government to rehouse the girls living there) and on a forced marriage of a 60-year-old man to a 14-year-old schoolgirl, expressing
Gerwis conference in Bandung: new marriage law necessary
De Waarheid, 18 Nov 1953, p. 5: short report that the West Java branches of Gerwis ended a two-day conference in Bandung, adopting a resolution demanding that the government draft a new marriage law quickly and set minimum labour conditions for women workers. Same item notes a SARBUPRI strike of about 200 workers at th
With the Gerwis congress in sight: Jakarta feature on preparations
De Waarheid, 27 Jan 1954, p. 5: correspondent's Jakarta feature ahead of Gerwis's second congress (opening 26 March 1954), describing its literacy courses, hygiene campaigns, defence of women under customary law, wage struggles (Sampurna cigarette factory Surabaya, Kaliklatak coffee estate) with SARBUPRI, and the mass
Women of Indonesia prepare their congress: Umi Sardjono excerpts from Harian Rakjat
De Waarheid, 10 Mar 1954, p. 5: excerpts from an article by Umi (Sardjono), Gerwis board member, in Harian Rakjat preparing Gerwis's second congress. She lists invitations to women's groups in the USSR, China, Netherlands, India and WIDF, and stresses plantation and factory women, mass dismissals driving women into pro
Results of the Gerwis congress: name changed to Gerwani
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
Results of the Gerwis congress: name changed to Gerwani (page version)
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
Gerwani conference in Surabaya: renewing programme and board
De Vrije Pers item (1 Jun 1954) on a Gerwani conference in Surabaya: renewing programme and board, aiming to raise membership two- to fourfold with sub-branches in all wards, endorsing the Jakarta congress decisions (marriage law, democratic rights, H-bomb), demanding dissolution of the city council, backing peasants i
Gerwani East Java conference ends with reception and performance
De Vrije Pers note (31 Aug 1954) on the Gerwani East Java conference, which ended with a reception and artistic performance at the Stadstuin in Surabaya. Topics discussed included the draft marriage law, the multi-wife pension regulation, the elections, food prices and pornographic reading matter and films.
For democratic marriage laws in Indonesia: protest against PP-19
De Waarheid, 27 Oct 1954, p. 5: report on the draft marriage regulation PP-19, which would allow polygamy for men and which tens of thousands of Indonesian women protested. Quotes Umi Sardjono, Gerwani chair, in Harian Rakjat urging mass action, mobilising all women's groups and unions (PP-19 also risks mass dismissals
Gerwani congress: forced marriages must be abolished in modern Indonesia
Algemeen Indisch Dagblad (1954-11-30, p. 2): two-day congress of Gerwani's Bandung branch ('formerly Gerwis') sends sympathy to Maisoeri, a sixteen-year-old in South Sumatra jailed for refusing a forced marriage to a sixty-year-old, and calls for abolishing forced marriages. It also demands bans on 'modern dances' and
Gerwani congress (Bandung branch)
Java-Bode, 30 November 1954, p. 2: the Bandung branch of Gerwani (formerly Gerwis), at a two-day congress, sent sympathy to Maisuri, victim of a forced marriage in South Sumatra, and urged abolition of forced marriages. It also called for banning modern dances and immoral film imports, and backed the Ali-Arifin cabinet
Java-Bode 30 Nov 1954, page: Gerwani congress (whole page)
Whole-page OCR of Java-Bode, 30 November 1954, p. 2. The only Gerwani item is the Bandung branch congress: sympathy for Maisuri (forced marriage victim), call to abolish forced marriage, ban modern dances and immoral films, and support for the Ali-Arifin cabinet. Other articles cover West Irian at the UN, the Chinese a
Gerwani congress (Bandung branch)
Short item, Indische Courant voor Nederland, 4 Dec 1954, p. 3: the two-day congress of the Bandung branch of Gerwani (formerly Gerwis) sends sympathy to Maisuri, a South Sumatran girl in a forced marriage, calls for abolition of forced marriage, bans on 'modern dances' and 'immoral' films, and backs the Ali-Arifin cabi
Gerwani congress (newspaper page, early December 1954)
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
Maisuri, symbol of resistance to forced marriage (Harian Rakjat, 26 January 1955)
Harian Rakjat, 26 Jan 1955, p. 3: women's-page feature 'Maisuri, symbol of resistance to forced marriage', signed Ny. Suwarti (DPP Gerwani). Maisuri refused a marriage imposed by her family to an older man (Kyai Ahmad) who already had wives; the piece uses the case to argue against forced marriage and for a marriage la
Supplementary statements (Maisuri affair)
Java-Bode, 10 February 1955, p. 2: report on supplementary testimony in the Maisuri forced-marriage case before the customary court in South Sumatra, showing the marriage was arranged by Hadji Achmad, his wife, her father and an intermediary without Maisuri's consent. It notes Gerwani and other women's organisations ma
Re-examination of forced marriage of a minor girl
Java-Bode, 10 February 1955, p. 2: report that the customary court at Tanjungraja began re-examining the Maisuri case on appeal. Maisuri, forced by her father to marry a 45-year-old hadji, married her chosen partner Kojum instead and was sentenced with him and her uncle to six months. Prominent Palembang women and Sout
Marriage concluded by father valid? (the Maisuri case)
Het Nieuwsblad voor Sumatra (11 Feb 1955, p.4): in a customary-court retrial in Tanjungraja, village girl Maisuri, forced by her father to marry a 45-year-old hadji, is defended by lawyer Mr Muwalladi provided by the women's association Gerwani. She had married Kojum, her own choice, and was sentenced with him and her
Now a national issue: re-examination of the Maisuri forced-marriage case
De Locomotief, 12 Feb 1955: the adat court at Tanjungraja re-examines the Maisuri case, a village girl forced by her father to marry a 45-year-old hadji, who instead married the youth she chose and was sentenced to six months with her husband and uncle. Prominent Palembang women and delegates of Gerwani's South Sumatra
Statements in the Maisuri forced-marriage case
De Locomotief, 12 Feb 1955: follow-up on the Maisuri forced-marriage case. Supplementary testimony shows Maisuri never agreed to marry Hadji Achmad and the match was arranged without her and her mother. The case became a national question through Gerwani and other women's organisations, which see it as breaking the con
Re-examination of forced marriage of a minor girl (Maisuri case)
Indische Courant voor Nederland, 16 Feb 1955, p. 3: the customary court at Tanjungraja re-examines the Maisuri case, a village girl forced to marry a 45-year-old hadji who sentenced her and her chosen husband to six months. Gerwani South Sumatra delegates attend; Gerwani and other women's groups made it a national issu
Mme Suharti, president of the Indonesian Women's Movement; Sukarno and polygamy
La Presse (17 May 1955, p.10): feature on a Muslim feminist campaign against polygamy, starting with the Pakistani PM Mohamed Ali's second marriage and spreading to Java. Says Fatmawati Sukarno was recruited and that Hartini was pregnant during the Bandung Conference. A snippet names Mme Suharti, president of the 'very
Mme Suharti, president of the Indonesian Women's Movement; Sukarno and polygamy (extract)
La Presse (17 May 1955, p.10), snippet extract of the polygamy feature: unrest in Indonesia over Sukarno's marriage to Hartini, in which Mme Suharti, president of the 'very communist-leaning' Indonesian Women's Movement (Gerwani), took advantage; Hartini's pregnancy surfaced as the Bandung Conference drew attention.
1945 - 17 August - 1955: Maisuri sets the example
De Waarheid, 10 Aug 1955, p. 5: illustrated story marking ten years of the Republic about Maisuri, a 17-year-old from Talang-Dukun, South Sumatra, sold by her parents to a landlord as fourth wife, who fled and married her chosen partner, was jailed for 'adultery' and freed after her mother turned to a Gerwani officer a