1949 – 2017
De Waarheid report (4 Jan 1949) on Dutch delegates Annie Gelok and Mien Bosch at the second WIDF congress, with the full manifesto. Gelok said the Dutch Women's Movement alone sided with the Indonesian people and demanded troop withdrawal; the paper notes Indonesia's WIDF-affiliated women's organisation was absent beca
Abadi, 4 Aug 1951, p. 1: Gerwis central board statement (2 Aug) rejecting the visit of Hjalmar Schacht, invited by the Sukiman government, as a 'fascist champion' who would drag Indonesia toward a war economy.
De Waarheid, 31 Aug 1951, p. 3: near-verbatim PKI Central Committee statement on the Sukiman government's August 1951 mass arrests, calling them a drift to fascism and a staged 'coup' pretext. It lists Gerwis among organisations whose members were arrested or searched, demands release of all detainees and urges an anti
Full page of De Nieuwsgier, 21 Sept 1951, with the same PIA report on S.K. Trimurti's arrest: Gerwis, whose chair she is, relays the Attorney General's explanation that it was decided in mid-August and carried out at the immigration office by coincidence. Other items on the page (British elections, desawacht, Kendal ho
De Waarheid, 27 Oct 1951, p. 3: correspondent's article on poor food, medical care and conditions of those arrested in Indonesia since August 1951 under the Sukiman government (Cipinang prison, Malang, Banten), including named detainees. Ends with a Gerwis statement calling the arrest of its leader (S.K.) Trimurti and
Fragmentary De Vrije Pers item (24 Jan 1952): a Gerwis statement on an assault, urging the government to handle it lawfully, punish the suspect, and bear the medical costs and upbringing of the child involved. OCR is heavily garbled, so names and circumstances are unclear.
Aneta item in De Vrije Pers (19 May 1952): Eleanor Roosevelt replied to a memorandum Gerwis gave her during her April visit to Jakarta, rejecting its accusation that the UN used bacteriological weapons in Korea, denying UN oppression of peoples, and disputing its claim that a million Arabs were driven out of Israel.
Front page of Literaturnaia Gazeta, 10 June 1952, carrying a World Peace Council Bureau statement defending the French peace movement. Signatories include 'Mrs. Suwarti (Indonesia), member of parliament' (Gerwis/Gerwani leader Suwarti), alongside Joliot-Curie, Eugenie Cotton (WIDF), Brecht and Neruda. Also notes the Pe
Java-Bode, 28 Oct 1952, p. 2 (begins mid-article): after a Borneo demonstration a delegation sees Governor Murdjani; in Yogyakarta parties and organisations including Gerwis, PKI, PNI and Partai Wanita Rakjat sign a statement urging early general elections and warning that dissolving parliament now would strengthen fas
Whole page, Java-Bode, 28 Oct 1952, on the dispute over dissolving parliament after the 17 October affair: demonstrations in Medan and Banjarmasin and statements by GPII and PIN. A Yogyakarta joint statement, signed by Gerwis, PKI, PNI and Partai Wanita Rakjat among others, urges early elections and warns that dissolvi
Algemeen Indisch Dagblad (1953-06-16, p. 2): Gerwis issues a statement on cabinet formation urging a government that withdraws measures harming women and the people, with a programme of protection for working and pregnant women, anti-unemployment measures, more education budget, price control, farm tools, ending region
Java-Bode, 16 June 1953, p. 1: Gerwis statement on the formation of a new cabinet. It demands withdrawal of measures harming women and the people, with a programme of protection for working and pregnant women, fighting unemployment, higher education budget, price control, repeal of regional measures violating democrati
Indische Courant voor Nederland, 24 Jun 1953, p. 1: Sukarno appoints Mangunsarkoro (PNI) and Roem (Masjumi) as cabinet formateurs after Wilopo's fall; reports party programmes. Gerwis issues a statement urging a cabinet that protects working and pregnant women, curbs unemployment, raises education budgets, controls pri
De Nieuwsgier, 17 Sept 1953: the Committee to Support Tunisia issues a manifesto backing Tunisia's freedom struggle against French policy, signed by many party leaders and organisations. S.K. Trimurti signs on behalf of Gerwis, with Maria Ulfah Santoso for Kowani and others for PNI, Masjumi, PSI, Parkindo. Shows Gerwis
Commemorative volume of the second Gerwis congress (Jakarta, 25–31 March 1954): greetings, foreign women's federations' telegrams, general report, resolutions, and the unanimous 30 March 1954 decision to rename Gerwis as Gerwani. Includes new statutes and a WIDF memorandum to the UN.
Antara news roundup, Indische Courant voor Nederland, 16 Jun 1954, p. 4 (5-9 June). Relevant item: the Gerwani central board urges the government to abrogate the Netherlands-Indonesian Union unilaterally and pledges support. Other items cover foreigner registration, trade with Yugoslavia, oil wells, smuggling and the c
Libération, Paris (21 Sep 1954, p.6), badly garbled page with a column '...et les femmes!': after Sukarno's second marriage to a divorcee, a feminist organisation says his private life cannot be separated from the presidency, and that Indonesian women fought ten years for their rights so the marriage is a heavy blow. N
WIDF magazine 1955 report on the Asian-African (Bandung) Conference, 18-24 April, listing participants and the ten principles of the communique, with supportive statements from women (Anusuya Gyanchand, Erika Wendland, Gusta Fucikova) for the World Congress of Mothers. Presents Bandung as boosting peace and disarmament
FBIS item (19 Feb 1955): Gerwani issued a statement on 18 Feb welcoming the Indonesian Peace Committee's appeal against war and the use of atomic and hydrogen bombs, urging members and all women to sign and aid the committee, and to take part in implementing plans for the all-Indonesia congress suggested by Sukarno. Sh
De Nieuwsgier item (28 Nov 1955) reporting a Gerwani central board statement: speaking of the president's household while ignoring the fight for a democratic marriage law is pointless. It urges women to vote so the Konstituante secures women's rights per the UN Declaration, citing the forced marriage of Maisuri of Tanj
De Locomotief, 29 Nov 1955: statement by Gerwani's central board (OCR partly garbled) calling for a democratic marriage law, citing the Maisuri forced-marriage case as proof that women's constitutional rights are violated. It urges women to be active in the Constituent Assembly elections and argues the 'first lady' deb
Java-Bode, 29 November 1955, p. 2: partly missing statement by the Gerwani central board secretariat, on the 'first lady' debate, urging women to be active in the Konstituante elections and to focus on a democratic marriage law, not on the first-lady status. It rejects privileges derived from a husband's position and c
Java-Bode, 29 November 1955, p. 2: Gerwani central board secretariat statement on women's position in marriage, ahead of the Konstituante elections and amid the 'first lady' issue. It says women's constitutional rights are not respected, citing the Maisuri forced-marriage case, and blames governments' failure to enact
Short De Nieuwsgier item (30 Nov 1955): Gerwani, via board member Maria Ulfa Santoso, publicly condemned a planned "Bunga Indonesia" beauty contest by Gadjah Mada University students in Yogyakarta; student representatives were to travel to Jakarta to talk with the Gerwani board.
Indische Courant voor Nederland, 3 Dec 1955, p. 3: statement by the Gerwani central board secretariat, citing the Maisuri case, that women's constitutional rights are not respected without a democratic marriage law. Urges women to take part in Konstituante elections and rejects the 'first lady' debate as divisive and a
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
Front page (with pp. 2-4) of Bintang Timur, Jakarta, 23 Feb 1956. The DPP Gerwani issues a statement, after a meeting with Central Java, West Java and Jakarta delegates, demanding full unilateral abrogation of the KMB agreements. Women delegates Setiati Surasto (Sarbupri), Sri Ambar, Tuti, Rantiyem and Emmy Purwati att
Short Algemeen Indisch Dagblad item (1956-03-13, p. 1): the Gerwani central board issues a statement objecting to John Foster Dulles's visit, his interference and his push for Indonesia to join SEATO, which it says contradicts the Bandung (Afro-Asian) Conference decisions on peace and friendship.
Java-Bode, 13 March 1956, p. 1: before John Foster Dulles's Jakarta visit, the Gerwani central board issued a statement objecting to the visit, to his interference in Indonesia's internal affairs and to his pressure on Indonesia to join SEATO, after studying US interventionism in Latin America and Asia.
Two Xinhua dispatches from Jakarta in Renmin Ribao, 13 Mar 1956 (p. 4). First: US Secretary of State Dulles was met at the airport on 12 March by demonstrators shouting against SEATO, and a girl was arrested for sticking a slogan on his car. Second: Gerwani issued a statement on 11 March condemning the visit as an atte
Two Xinhua dispatches from Jakarta in Renmin Ribao, 13 Mar 1956 (p. 4). First: US Secretary of State Dulles was met at the airport on 12 March by demonstrators shouting against SEATO, and a girl was arrested for sticking a slogan on his car. Second: Gerwani issued a statement on 11 March condemning the visit as an atte
Renmin Ribao, 7 May 1956, p. 5: abridged speeches (part 1) at the WIDF Council meeting in Beijing. Includes a short statement by Mrs Suharti for Gerwani, welcoming the Bandung resolutions, reporting that Gerwani set up the national preparatory committee and delegation for the Lausanne World Assembly of Mothers, and not
Renmin Ribao, 7 May 1956, p. 5: abridged speeches (part 1) at the WIDF Council meeting in Beijing. Includes a short statement by Mrs Suharti for Gerwani, welcoming the Bandung resolutions, reporting that Gerwani set up the national preparatory committee and delegation for the Lausanne World Assembly of Mothers, and not
Renmin Ribao, 24 Feb 1957, p. 6 (Xinhua, Jakarta): reports support for Sukarno's Konsepsi (mutual-cooperation cabinet) from SOBSI and Gerwani, whose 22 Feb statement cites imperialist plots and the rebellions of Lubis, Simbolon and Hussein; Nahdlatul Ulama's Duta Masyarakat and parliamentary chair Asjin oppose it.
Renmin Ribao, 24 Feb 1957, p. 6 (Xinhua, Jakarta): reports support for Sukarno's Konsepsi (mutual-cooperation cabinet) from SOBSI and Gerwani, whose 22 Feb statement cites imperialist plots and the rebellions of Lubis, Simbolon and Hussein; Nahdlatul Ulama's Duta Masyarakat and parliamentary chair Asjin oppose it.
Suluh Indonesia, Jakarta, 2 August 1957 (four pages, OCR noisy, mostly general news: Darul Islam, Churchill, sports). A short item on p. 2, 'Gerwani sambut pembentukan BKSPM', reports that the DPP of Gerwani, speaking for 650,000 members, welcomed the formation of the Youth-Military Cooperation Body (BKSPM, set up 26 J
Document pack of the WIDF Fourth Congress, Vienna, 1-5 June 1958: Eugenie Cotton's report on women's role, the Manifesto, resolutions on peace, women's rights and children, appeals to the UN, credentials report and constitution. Indonesia appears in passing: Cotton credits 'the Indonesian Women's Movement' with improvi
Renmin Ribao, 16 Feb 1958, p. 6 (Xinhua): Sukarno ends a Japan visit, denouncing imperialism and rejecting interference; a Jakarta item reports SOBSI, Pemuda Rakjat, Gerwani, BTI and others backing the arrest of rebels such as Hussein and Lubis. Gerwani appears only in that list.
Renmin Ribao, 16 Feb 1958, p. 6 (Xinhua): Sukarno ends a Japan visit, denouncing imperialism and rejecting interference; a Jakarta item reports SOBSI, Pemuda Rakjat, Gerwani, BTI and others backing the arrest of rebels such as Hussein and Lubis. Gerwani appears only in that list.
Renmin Ribao commentary, 17 Feb 1958, p. 5: praises Sukarno's nine-nation tour, backs Indonesia's West Irian claim and calls the PRRI/Permesta rebels imperialist-instigated. Notes that SOBSI, Pemuda Rakjat, Gerwani, BTI and seventeen Sumatran organisations backed the arrest of the rebels, and cites Aidit's call to brin
Renmin Ribao commentary, 17 Feb 1958, p. 5: praises Sukarno's nine-nation tour, backs Indonesia's West Irian claim and calls the PRRI/Permesta rebels imperialist-instigated. Notes that SOBSI, Pemuda Rakjat, Gerwani, BTI and seventeen Sumatran organisations backed the arrest of the rebels, and cites Aidit's call to brin
Bintang Timur, 24 March 1958, p. 1 (during the PRRI rebellion). Front-page statement of the Gerwani national leadership (DPP), said to represent 650,000 members, condemning US and SEATO intervention and the US Seventh Fleet's movements, and demanding that SEATO be dissolved ('Bubarkan SEATO'), in an open letter. Same p
Bintang Timur, 6 May 1958, p. 1 (after APRI's recapture of West Sumatran towns). Reports the Gerwani DPP's protest to the US and Taiwan governments over their intervention supporting Permesta/PRRI, demanding they stop interference, respect Indonesia's sovereignty and Asia-Africa, and appealing to American women to pres
Renmin Ribao, 20 Sep 1958, p. 4 (Xinhua, Jakarta): amid the Taiwan Strait crisis, Gerwani, speaking for its 650,000 members, protests American interference over Taiwan and the offshore islands; Indonesian railway and rice-workers' unions make similar demands. Other items give Syrian, Pakistani, Omani and Mauritanian su
Renmin Ribao, 20 Sep 1958, p. 4 (Xinhua, Jakarta): amid the Taiwan Strait crisis, Gerwani, speaking for its 650,000 members, protests American interference over Taiwan and the offshore islands; Indonesian railway and rice-workers' unions make similar demands. Other items give Syrian, Pakistani, Omani and Mauritanian su
FBIS summary (7 Jul 1959) of a broadcast report to Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific on reactions to Sukarno's decree reinstating the 1945 constitution and dissolving the Constituent Assembly: Catholic Party, Democratic Youth, film union, PKI, economic congress and SOBSI supported it. Final line: the Indonesian Wo
Api Kartini (1960) compilation of foreign women's solidarity statements against the Dutch dispatch of the carrier Karel Doorman and troops to Irian Barat. Includes Dutch women's movement (NVB) protests to parliament and a Rotterdam petition, a WIDF statement backing Indonesia, and a message from Australian miners' wive
Ons Noorden (17 May 1960): amid anti-Dutch demonstrations, the oil union Perboem and the PKI-affiliated women's organisation Gerwani urge the government to seize remaining Dutch capital in mixed enterprises such as Shell, BPM and Unilever. Demonstrations continue in Bandung, Surabaya and Semarang.
Renmin Ribao, 15 Sep 1962, p. 4: round-up of world solidarity with Cuba against threatened US intervention (Albania, WFDY, US Fair Play for Cuba, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico). The Jakarta item says Gerwani, in the name of over one million members, telegraphed the US government protesting aggression on Cuba, and c
Renmin Ribao, 15 Sep 1962, p. 4: round-up of world solidarity with Cuba against threatened US intervention (Albania, WFDY, US Fair Play for Cuba, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico). The Jakarta item says Gerwani, in the name of over one million members, telegraphed the US government protesting aggression on Cuba, and c
Renmin Ribao, 2 Jul 1963, p. 4 (Xinhua, Moscow): Umi Sardjono, head of the Indonesian delegation at the World Congress of Women, states that the Indian delegate's raising of the Sino-Indian border at the 26 June session was out of place and that the chair acted undemocratically and partially; Chinese delegates should h
Renmin Ribao, 2 Jul 1963, p. 4 (Xinhua, Moscow): Umi Sardjono, head of the Indonesian delegation at the World Congress of Women, states that the Indian delegate's raising of the Sino-Indian border at the 26 June session was out of place and that the chair acted undemocratically and partially; Chinese delegates should h
Peking Review no. 27 (5 July 1963), Chinese state weekly, reporting the WIDF World Congress of Women in Moscow (June 1963). It covers the Chinese delegation's votes against the WIDF programme and Appeal, its statements, and the clash with the Indian delegate and chair over the Sino-Indian border. Umi Sardjono, head of
Renmin Ribao, 11 Jul 1963, p. 4 (Xinhua, Jakarta): Gerwani secretary-general Maasje Siwi tells the press, after the Moscow World Congress of Women, that Gerwani opposes the WIDF programme as lacking revolutionary spirit and disagrees with the Appeal on war, peaceful coexistence and disarmament. She criticises the congr
Renmin Ribao, 11 Jul 1963, p. 4 (Xinhua, Jakarta): Gerwani secretary-general Maasje Siwi tells the press, after the Moscow World Congress of Women, that Gerwani opposes the WIDF programme as lacking revolutionary spirit and disagrees with the Appeal on war, peaceful coexistence and disarmament. She criticises the congr
CIA Bi-Weekly Propaganda Guidance, 15 July 1963, on the Sino-Soviet clash at the WIDF Moscow World Congress of Women (June 1963). It quotes the Indonesian press of 9 July, per NCNA, carrying a statement by Maasje Siwi, general secretary of GERWANI, condemning the undemocratic handling of the congress and saying Gerwani
Snippet-only Renmin Ribao extract (29 Dec 1963, p. 4) on Asian opinion against the US Seventh Fleet entering the Indian Ocean. It reports that Gerwani issued a statement backing Sukarno's stance that Indonesians will not bow to imperialist intimidation. Full text is GA-01922.
Xinhua roundup in Renmin Ribao (29 Dec 1963, p. 4) of Asian press and organisational reactions against the US Seventh Fleet entering the Indian Ocean. For Indonesia, Gerwani issued a statement backing Sukarno's refusal to bow to intimidation; dockers' unions, Harian Rakjat and Bintang Timur also quoted. Other items cov
Snippet-only Renmin Ribao extract (5 Dec 1964, p. 5) from a roundup on global protests against US-Belgian intervention in the Congo. It notes that the Gerwani Central Council issued a statement demanding withdrawal of the aggressor forces; the Indonesian Youth Front is also cited. Truncated; full text is GA-01954.
Xinhua roundup in Renmin Ribao (5 Dec 1964, p. 5) on world reaction to the US-Belgian attack on Stanleyville, Congo, including a 10,000-strong anti-US demonstration in Jakarta that stormed and burned the USIS library. Gerwani appears in one sentence: its Central Council demanded withdrawal of the aggressor forces, alon
Sovetskaia Kirgiziia, 16 Mar 1965, p. 3: page of TASS items on Vietnam war protests. Quotes a Gerwani statement, said to speak for over 2 million members, condemning US bombing of the DRV as 'a crime against humanity'. Also reports Indonesia withdrawing from the New York World's Fair over US support for Malaysia. Other
Snippet-only Renmin Ribao extract (17 Apr 1965, p. 5) on Indonesian preparations for the Bandung 10th anniversary. It quotes the Gerwani Central Council, in the name of its three million members, welcoming Zhou Enlai's visit; truncated. Full text is GA-01966.
Xinhua dispatches in Renmin Ribao (17 Apr 1965, p. 5) on the Bandung Conference tenth-anniversary celebration in Jakarta: Ganis Harsono announces 37 attending countries, delegations arrive, and BTI (8.5 million) and Gerwani welcome Zhou Enlai's visit. The Gerwani Central Council, speaking for 'three million members', s
FRUS 1964-68 vol. XXVI, doc. 149: CIA/OCI Intelligence Memorandum 'The Upheaval in Indonesia' (6 Oct 1965). Describes the 30 September Movement, Suharto's takeover and Sukarno's manoeuvres, and says GERWANI (the 'Communist women's front group') was reportedly involved. Quotes Suharto's 4 Oct statement that an area near
Renmin Ribao compilation (20 Oct 1965, p. 5) of Indonesian organisations' statements after 30 September, taken from Radio Republik Indonesia and Antara. Nahdlatul Ulama and affiliates, Perti and others demand dissolution of the PKI, Pemuda Rakyat and Gerwani; the NU text alleges Gerwani and Pemuda Rakyat members were t
USIA Research and Reference Service report R-158-65 (November 1965), a chronology of the anti-Communist campaign in Indonesia, 1-20 October 1965, built on Indonesian and foreign radio and press. Gerwani entries: Suharto's 4 Oct TV statement linking the generals' murders to Pemuda Rakjat and Gerwani training grounds; NU
Armed Forces Information Centre bulletin, 3 Desember 1965. Puspenad statement declaring the PKI sole executor of the 30 September Movement; Gerwani cited among armed 'auxiliary forces' trained at Lubang Buaya and as forces Njono organised; self-dissolution of a Kebayoran Gerwani ranting.
Snippet-only Renmin Ribao extract (19 Apr 1966, p. 4) from a Thai Afro-Asian Solidarity Committee communiqué protesting Indonesia's repression. It lists banned mass organisations including Gerwani and notes the 12 March 1966 ban on the PKI; truncated. Full text is GA-01992.
Xinhua report in Renmin Ribao (19 Apr 1966, p. 4) of a 13 April communiqué by the Thai Afro-Asian People's Solidarity Committee condemning Indonesia's military and 'reactionaries': 78,500 killed and 106,000 arrested per the Fact-Finding Commission in Bali, Java and North Sumatra; bans on Pemuda Rakyat, CGMI, Gerwani, B
2002 Seri Kartini booklet bundling W.F. Wertheim's review of Saskia Wieringa's Gerwani dissertation (Gerwani's puritan sexual politics, army fabrication of Lubang Buaya), a DPP Gerwani statement of 4 June 1962, Sulami's preface and poem, and a memoir of 1945. Survivors' reissue of key Gerwani texts.
Two-page south-east Asia magazine piece (südostasien 1/2017, German) translating Wieringa's statement as IPT 1965 chair on the July 2016 verdict: crimes against humanity, 400,000-600,000 killed, sexual violence, hate propaganda, complicity of the US, UK and Australia. Gerwani not named.