New Indonesian study spotlights how female terror victims suffer in many ways
2024.06.26
Jakarta

Ni Luh Erniati was sleeping with her two children in Bali nearly 22 years ago, when a nearby explosion woke them and changed their lives forever.
On the night of Oct. 12, 2002, her husband, Gede Badrawan, was working as a waiter at the Sari Club, about 2 km (1.2 miles) from their boarding room.
“The sound was so loud that it shocked me, but I didn’t think it was a bomb because Bali is known as the safest place,” Ni, 53, told a BenarNews reporter in a phone interview.
Soon after, she recalled, people passing in front of the boarding house told Ni about the explosion outside the club. Three bombs had gone off that night, killing 202 people.
Back in her room, the telephone rang several times before Ni answered it – a co-worker of her husband called to see how he was. She was unsure of his whereabouts.
Four years later, what remained of her husband was identified.
“I have forgiven the perpetrators,” she said.
Ni and other female victims of terrorism in Indonesia suffer not only physically, but mentally, psychologically, economically and socially as well, according to findings of a government study released this week.
The report by the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) highlights the unique challenges that women face following such events, including loss of livelihood, physical and psychological trauma and social stigma.
Dete Aliah, an advocate for women, said that female victims of terrorism had long been neglected with their grievances unheard.
“Prevention is crucial to avoid further victimization because the impact on female victims is extraordinary. To this day, many rely on medication or have become permanently disabled,” Dete, director of the Society against Radicalism and Violent Extremism (SeRVE), told BenarNews as she responded to the Komnas Perempuan report.
Dete noted that many of the victims are heads of households or have children born with illnesses after they themselves became victims. She highlighted that at least 563 people had died and 1,051 were injured, with hundreds of homes, vehicles, and buildings damaged by terrorist acts between 2000 and 2022.

The Komnas Perempuan study detailed the experiences of women who were indirectly injured in the attacks but suffered from the trauma of losing loved ones or witnessing the violence.
The study focused on several major incidents, including the Bali bombings in 2002 and 2005, as well as simultaneous church bombings in Surabaya in 2018. Komnas Perempuan’s records show 57 terrorism incidents over the past two decades (2000-2022) across 33 cities and regencies, including Jakarta, Bali and Ambon.
One survivor of the Surabaya attacks, who was identified in the study as Mrs. E, suffered burns on 85% of her body and underwent more than 30 surgeries. She described the physical and emotional pain as well as discrimination faced because of her injuries.
The report said that local officials had promised but did not deliver free health care. Mrs. E was discharged from a hospital because her burns were not covered by government insurance.
“The burns on her hands made them immobile. As a result, she stopped all activities for five years to focus on recovery. During her recovery, she was highly dependent on others,” the study said.
Additionally, Mrs. E was afraid to meet people because, four years after the blast, her ears grew because of keloids caused by excess protein during the healing process. Although she could walk, she considered herself disabled because of the scars and because she lost fingers in the explosion.

Another victim, Mrs. F, suffered hearing loss in her right ear, forcing her to rely on lip-reading.
Komnas Perempuan Commissioner Imam Nahei said all survivors who were interviewed reported feeling traumatized, confused, hurt and angry. Almost all experienced prolonged trauma and stress.
“Some are afraid to meet people wearing veils, or even harbor hatred toward certain religious symbols,” Nahei said.
Women as perpetrators
Cases of terrorism involving female perpetrators, meanwhile, have drawn the public’s attention. One notable incident involved a husband and wife who carried out a suicide bombing in front of Makassar Cathedral in South Sulawesi in March 2021 , according to the National Counter-Terrorism Agency (BNPT).
Indonesia’s Counterterrorism Special Detachment 88 (Densus 88) arrested 52 people, including seven women linked to the incident.
Shortly after, a woman identified as Z.A. entered the National Police Headquarters and fired at officers before being fatally shot.
In October 2022, a veiled woman armed with a weapon tried to breach the presidential palace and threatened the Presidential Security Force, according to BNPT.
The rise in female militants began years earlier – between the years 2016 and 2020 – according to Komnas Perempuan, citing a study by the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC). It identified 32 during that span, up from eight during the years of 2002 to 2015.
Meanwhile, a university researcher said Indonesians outside the country who are victims of terrorism are nearly forgotten.
In 2021, BNPT reported 1,500 Indonesians were involved in terrorism abroad. Of these, 800 had not returned, about 100 had died, 550 were deported, and 50 were returnees who returned voluntarily.
“One example is Indonesian nationals who support IS and are awaiting repatriation,” researcher Debbie Affianty told BenarNews, using an acronym for the Islamic State terror group.
Debbie, a researcher at the Laboratory of Indonesian and Global Studies at Universitas Muhammadiyah, said 600 pro-IS Indonesians, including men, women and children, have been stuck in Syria.
“The regulations only address direct victims and the families of those convicted of terrorism. However, repatriating pro-IS individuals is not easy due to the complex mechanisms and costs involved in extracting them from detention centers there,” Debbie said.
Nilam Ayuningtyas, BNPT’s chief of victim recovery, said her agency promotes medical and psychosocial rehabilitation for female and child victims.
“Therapy is always coordinated with the Witness and Victim Protection Agency,” Nilam said.