Indonesian women assert themselves with martial arts as gender-based violence remains a challenge

Jakarta, Indonesia — After an 11-year marriage filled with emotional and physical abuse, Rani Miranti joined a fight club where she was trained in martial arts and thus empowered to defend herself against violence.

Miranti is one of a growing number of Indonesian women taking self-defense classes as gender-based violence continues to be a problem in the world’s most populous, Muslim-majority country.

“Government protection usually comes after violence has occurred, but we never know when it will happen,” said the 38-year-old single father of three. “Unfortunately, when it happens suddenly, no one can help. That’s why we have to be able to defend ourselves.”

The National Commission against Violence against Women, known as Komnas Perempuan, registered 289,111 cases last year, a decrease of about 12% from 339,782 in 2022, the year a law against sexual violence was passed.

However, the commission said the latest data was “just the tip of the iceberg” of gender-based violence. The actual number of cases is likely to be much higher, according to Komnas Perempuan’s 2023 annual report published in March.

Many cases go unreported for a variety of reasons: victims have limited access to complaints bodies, a weak case documentation system and a high level of social stigmatisation of victims of violence, the report says.

The Indonesian parliament passed a sweeping law in 2022 that sets the punishment for sexual violence and guarantees victims and survivors benefits, reparations or other remedies.

The law was passed a week after an Indonesian high court sentenced the headmaster of an Islamic boarding school to death for raping at least 13 schoolgirls over a five-year period, some of them impregnating them. The girls were aged between 11 and 14 and were raped over several years, sparking public outrage over why he was not caught sooner.

In July, Indonesia’s election commission fired its chairman after finding him guilty of sexual assault following a complaint by a female employee. It was the latest in a series of cases of violence against women in the vast archipelagic nation of more than 277 million people that have caused a stir in Indonesia.

As the number of cases increased, more and more Indonesian women and girls, fearing physical violence, have resorted to alternative methods to ensure their safety, such as self-defense courses and clubs.

For Miranti, who was repeatedly attacked and physically abused by her husband, Muay Thai is the most suitable form of self-defense as it improves her skills, confidence and prevention techniques.

Wearing a red hijab and boxing gloves, the teacher at an Islamic elementary school in Jakarta demonstrated her skills by hitting a punching bag and kicking towards her sparring partner, part of her training routine at a mixed martial arts class in East Jakarta, where she enrolled nearly two years ago after deciding to end her abusive marriage in 2018.

Muay Thai originated in Thailand and is a form of kickboxing that includes knee and elbow strikes, kicks and punches.

“Now I’ve found a way. … I have the ability to defend myself,” Miranti said. “But more importantly, I’ve learned to avoid situations by being more aware of my surroundings.”

Miranti’s coach Rahimatul Hasanah said she was overwhelmed by the increasing demand from women wanting to learn martial arts, especially in private training, as female Muay Thai instructors were hard to find.

“Many do not feel comfortable being supervised by male trainers or need private lessons at home,” she added.

She said most of the women who have taken her self-defense classes are shy and some have experienced abuse in the past.

“Learning physical self-defense not only gives you the tools to control your reactions to negative situations, but it can also build confidence for mental defense,” Hasanah said.

Her husband, professional MMA fighter Rizal Zulmi, said the increasing trend of women learning martial arts shows abusers and criminals that “not all women are easy prey.”

The martial arts trainer duo opened the BKT Fight Club three years ago with around 40 students.

“Martial arts have become popular among women recently,” says Zulmi, who has won at least 30 medals at regional, national and international levels. “With crime against women rampant, they need this type of martial arts for self-defense.”

Rangi Wirantika Sudrajat, another Indonesian who took the MMA course, said the physical training in martial arts helped her most in her work as a general practitioner with Medecins Sans Frontières, widely known as Doctors Without Borders.

The 31-year-old doctor has worked in several refugee camps in Pakistan, Yemen, South Sudan, Bangladesh and Sierra Leone. She said martial arts not only builds her confidence and physical strength, but also helps her cope with stress.

“Through Muay Thai, I can channel all my pent-up emotions, my anger and my sadness in a healthy way,” she said.

Andy Yentriyani, chairman of the National Commission against Violence against Women, welcomed the fact that more and more women are taking part in self-defense courses.

“This is of course very important because many victims are sometimes so shocked that they cannot react to what has happened to them,” said Yentriyani. “And when they then realize it, it can be too late or a very long process.”

Documented forms of violence in the private sphere include attempted rape, marital rape, forced abortion and incest. Most victims were female students aged between 18 and 24, while most of the reported perpetrators were their former or current male partners.

Almost all of the victims were younger and had lower levels of education than their perpetrators, suggesting that violence against women is often accompanied by a power imbalance, Yentriyani said.

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