Project
Decriminalization of Abortion for Rape (DARE)
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Amount Funded
149,829 EUROProject Duration
01 Aug 2021 - 31 Dec 2023 -
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Lead organisation
Yayasan IPAS Indonesia
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IPAS Indonesia Foundation is a non-profit organization with its head office in Jakarta and registered with the Indonesian Ministry of Law and Human Rights since May 2018. IPAS Indonesia Foundation is committed to working closely with the Government of Indonesia to support the implementation of the National Maternal and Child Health Program, as well as the National Reproductive Age Health Program which contributes to supporting the reduction of Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) and improving the health status of women and adolescent girls in general. IPAS Indonesia Foundation is an affiliate of the global Ipas network and Ipas itself is a non-governmental organization headquartered in North Carolina, United States.
In the implementation of its project activities, IPAS Indonesia Foundation works with central and local governments and civil society organizations, including relevant professional organizations and academics, through activities related to pregnancy planning, as well as the management of unplanned pregnancies by increasing access and use of comprehensive reproductive health services based on the rule of law and program policies in Indonesia.
In implementing the program, IPAS Indonesia Foundation focuses on 3 main pillars, namely: Community Health Education and Promotion, through education and health promotion at the community level, especially for women and adolescent girls based on the strengths and local wisdom of each region; Strengthening the Health System at the national level, IPAS Indonesia Foundation works closely with the central government (Ministry of Health, BKKBN, Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection) to support the development of norms, standards, guidelines and criteria (NSPK) for health services at Puskesmas PONED and or Hospitals to provide comprehensive Post Miscarriage Care (APK) through a series of training and guidance for health service providers, referral networks between services and communities; as well as Studies and Evaluations that can be used for further programs.
Currently, IPAS Indonesia Foundation is also working on several projects that use the approach of the 3 pillars, one of which is the PEKERTi project which is a modeling / pilot project for comprehensive APK in collaboration with 3 districts / cities; Ponorogo District (East Java), Klaten District (Central Java), and Yogyakarta City which have priorities in improving the quality of public services by innovating services to answer the needs of local communities, especially in reducing MMR.
The development of these pilot projects is expected to inform existing stakeholders at the local and national levels, to further develop comprehensive MAPK programs as part of efforts to reduce women’s morbidity and MMR in Indonesia.
In line with the Studies and Evaluation pillar, IPAS Indonesia Foundation also collaborates with several other parties to disseminate study results related to women’s reproductive health issues. The DAISY project, for example, collaborates with the Guttmacher Institute and the Faculty of Public Health of the University of Indonesia to disseminate the results of a study estimating the incidence of abortion in Java.
In accordance with the vision and mission of the organization, IPAS Indonesia Foundation wants to contribute to creating a world where women and adolescent girls have good reproductive health status as well as rights and access to comprehensive reproductive health services, so that there are no more miscarriages, female morbidity, maternal mortality, unplanned pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and other reproductive health problems.
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Organisation
IPAS Indonesia Foundation is a non-profit organization with its head office in Jakarta and registered with the Indonesian Ministry of Law and Human Rights since May 2018. IPAS Indonesia Foundation is committed to working closely with the Government of Indonesia to support the implementation of the National Maternal and Child Health Program, as well as the National Reproductive Age Health Program which contributes to supporting the reduction of Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) and improving the health status of women and adolescent girls in general. IPAS Indonesia Foundation is an affiliate of the global Ipas network and Ipas itself is a non-governmental organization headquartered in North Carolina, United States.
In the implementation of its project activities, IPAS Indonesia Foundation works with central and local governments and civil society organizations, including relevant professional organizations and academics, through activities related to pregnancy planning, as well as the management of unplanned pregnancies by increasing access and use of comprehensive reproductive health services based on the rule of law and program policies in Indonesia.
In implementing the program, IPAS Indonesia Foundation focuses on 3 main pillars, namely: Community Health Education and Promotion, through education and health promotion at the community level, especially for women and adolescent girls based on the strengths and local wisdom of each region; Strengthening the Health System at the national level, IPAS Indonesia Foundation works closely with the central government (Ministry of Health, BKKBN, Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection) to support the development of norms, standards, guidelines and criteria (NSPK) for health services at Puskesmas PONED and or Hospitals to provide comprehensive Post Miscarriage Care (APK) through a series of training and guidance for health service providers, referral networks between services and communities; as well as Studies and Evaluations that can be used for further programs.
Currently, IPAS Indonesia Foundation is also working on several projects that use the approach of the 3 pillars, one of which is the PEKERTi project which is a modeling / pilot project for comprehensive APK in collaboration with 3 districts / cities; Ponorogo District (East Java), Klaten District (Central Java), and Yogyakarta City which have priorities in improving the quality of public services by innovating services to answer the needs of local communities, especially in reducing MMR.
The development of these pilot projects is expected to inform existing stakeholders at the local and national levels, to further develop comprehensive MAPK programs as part of efforts to reduce women’s morbidity and MMR in Indonesia.
In line with the Studies and Evaluation pillar, IPAS Indonesia Foundation also collaborates with several other parties to disseminate study results related to women’s reproductive health issues. The DAISY project, for example, collaborates with the Guttmacher Institute and the Faculty of Public Health of the University of Indonesia to disseminate the results of a study estimating the incidence of abortion in Java.
In accordance with the vision and mission of the organization, IPAS Indonesia Foundation wants to contribute to creating a world where women and adolescent girls have good reproductive health status as well as rights and access to comprehensive reproductive health services, so that there are no more miscarriages, female morbidity, maternal mortality, unplanned pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and other reproductive health problems.
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Project
Decriminalization of Abortion for Rape (DARE)
Under Indonesia’s legal framework, survivors of sexual violence seeking sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care and the clinical service providers who manage their cases are both subject to criminal charges. This is alarmingly prevalent in cases of rape that lead to the termination of unintended pregnancies.
Indonesia’s Government Regulation No 61/2014 on Reproductive Health (herein referred to as the Health Law) and Ministry of Health (MoH) Decree No3/2016 legalizes elective abortion services, training of abortion providers, and development of safe abortion protocols for cases of rape. However, findings from a recent policy study conducted by the Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (ICJR) and IPASIndonesia highlight serious gaps between the Health Law and the delivery of abortion services. Currently, there is no guidance from the government on the implementation of this law, and in several instances, other government policies contradict the health law, leaving police and lawmakers without a clear understanding of abortion legality.
In 2020, the MOH began covertly drafting national guidelines on safe abortion that would lay out the path for operationalizing the Health Law. However, the MOH did not involve relevant stakeholders in the draft process,other than organizations of doctors and midwives and a limited number of local government officials. Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) were left out of the process, as was the National Police Force, even though the IPAS Indonesia/ICJR study found that the National Police Force is in favour of developing guidelines that can inform an integrated standard operating procedure (SOP) on sexual violence that the Force can adopt. A SOP on sexual violence at National Police Force would ensure timely access to comprehensive abortion care for rape survivors, as the Health Law allows termination of pregnancy only up to six weeks gestational age. Currently, Yayasan IPAS Indonesia works with the National Police Forceto support a provincial police hospital with developing clinical protocols andreferral mechanisms and providing comprehensive SRH care for survivors of sexual violence. A SOP on sexual violence at the nationallevel for the Police Force is necessary to complement the clinical protocols being developed at the hospital level, as there is currently no standard guidance for the Police Force in how they can address reported cases.
Under the proposed project, IPAS Indonesia, in partnership with ICJR, aims to create a supportive environment for the decriminalization of safe abortion for sexual violence survivors. We intend to achieve this by: 1) Creating public demand for the development and dissemination of national guidelines that underpin the Health Law by strengthening CSO alliances and movements beyond traditional sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) CSOs, and 2) Claiming civic space through support from partners in media and allies in Parliament and engaging in the process of developingandrefining a National Police Force SOP on sexual violence that will ensure timely access of comprehensive SRH care for sexual violence survivors, including the elective termination of unintended pregnancies. Our activities will include promoting commonmessaging for public awareness, conducting joint advocacy with CSO partners, and creating safety measures for protecting survivors of sexual violence and service providers through the establishment of legal support when needed.
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Decriminalization of Abortion for Rape (DARE)
Under Indonesia’s legal framework, survivors of sexual violence seeking sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care and the clinical service providers who manage their cases are both subject to criminal charges. This is alarmingly prevalent in cases of rape that lead to the termination of unintended pregnancies.
Indonesia’s Government Regulation No 61/2014 on Reproductive Health (herein referred to as the Health Law) and Ministry of Health (MoH) Decree No3/2016 legalizes elective abortion services, training of abortion providers, and development of safe abortion protocols for cases of rape. However, findings from a recent policy study conducted by the Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (ICJR) and IPASIndonesia highlight serious gaps between the Health Law and the delivery of abortion services. Currently, there is no guidance from the government on the implementation of this law, and in several instances, other government policies contradict the health law, leaving police and lawmakers without a clear understanding of abortion legality.
In 2020, the MOH began covertly drafting national guidelines on safe abortion that would lay out the path for operationalizing the Health Law. However, the MOH did not involve relevant stakeholders in the draft process,other than organizations of doctors and midwives and a limited number of local government officials. Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) were left out of the process, as was the National Police Force, even though the IPAS Indonesia/ICJR study found that the National Police Force is in favour of developing guidelines that can inform an integrated standard operating procedure (SOP) on sexual violence that the Force can adopt. A SOP on sexual violence at National Police Force would ensure timely access to comprehensive abortion care for rape survivors, as the Health Law allows termination of pregnancy only up to six weeks gestational age. Currently, Yayasan IPAS Indonesia works with the National Police Forceto support a provincial police hospital with developing clinical protocols andreferral mechanisms and providing comprehensive SRH care for survivors of sexual violence. A SOP on sexual violence at the nationallevel for the Police Force is necessary to complement the clinical protocols being developed at the hospital level, as there is currently no standard guidance for the Police Force in how they can address reported cases.
Under the proposed project, IPAS Indonesia, in partnership with ICJR, aims to create a supportive environment for the decriminalization of safe abortion for sexual violence survivors. We intend to achieve this by: 1) Creating public demand for the development and dissemination of national guidelines that underpin the Health Law by strengthening CSO alliances and movements beyond traditional sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) CSOs, and 2) Claiming civic space through support from partners in media and allies in Parliament and engaging in the process of developingandrefining a National Police Force SOP on sexual violence that will ensure timely access of comprehensive SRH care for sexual violence survivors, including the elective termination of unintended pregnancies. Our activities will include promoting commonmessaging for public awareness, conducting joint advocacy with CSO partners, and creating safety measures for protecting survivors of sexual violence and service providers through the establishment of legal support when needed.