Indonesia is one of the most ethnically and religiously diverse countries in the world,
founded in 1945 on the principles of unity and pluralism.
It is also the world's largest muslim-majority country.
In the past two decades, officials have increasingly imposed
discriminatory regulations and local laws inspired by sharia or islamic law, in parts of Indonesia.
In West Sumatra, all Muslim women and girls practically need to wear a head, neck and chest covering,
referred to as a jilbab in Indonesia,
in schools, government buildings and public places
West Sumatra was the first province in Indonesia to introduce a mandatory jilbab regulation in 2001.
These kinds of regulations have increased and now are imposed in 24 out of Indonesia's 34 provinces
I had to follow the mandatory jilbab rule in my workplace.
My colleagues used to pressure me,
or threaten me, hoping to get me fired [if I didn’t wear the jilbab].
And since I have to provide for my child, feed my child,
wearing a jilbab became a necessary tool to feed my child.
We found that women were extraordinarily impacted.
And some testified that their promotion was postponed.
There are also women who are not served in, for example, government offices
because they are considered not wearing appropriate clothes as the regional regulations apply.
Regulations compelling women and girls to wear a jilbab are an attack on human rights.
The impact on women and girls is profound.
It’s not the clothes that are the problem.
I don’t think it’s a problem if more and more people wear the jilbab.
But when it becomes mandatory, that’s when there’s a problem.
When one girl felt pressured by her state school to wear the jilbab, her family decided to fight back.
We wanted to get some clarity whether wearing a jilbab is mandatory at school.
We decided to file a report with the Ombudsman.
If we let this slide, what’s next?
The National Ombudsman visited the school in 2019.
It ruled that the school should stop using the national school uniform regulation to pressure its female students to wear the jilbab.
In some of the more conservative parts of Indonesia, we found that even Christian girls have been forced to wear the jilbab to school.
I’m Catholic,
and when I was in 6th grade of elementary school
I was forced to wear the jilbab.
If I didn’t wear a jilbab I wouldn’t have been able to continue my studies.
My teacher would remind me about it and it would disturb my ability to study.
If I wear a jilbab that is different from what my school recommends,
the teacher will warn us and say,
“Please tuck your hair in, or I will cut it.”
These local and national regulations are contrary to Indonesia’s constitution and violate international law.
In an encouraging step, in February 2021 the national government ordered an end to mandatory head coverings
in nearly 300,000 state schools around the country,
allowing schoolgirls and female teachers the choice of dress.
But conservative groups have vowed to defy the order.
The Indonesian government should respect freedom of religion, freedom of expression and equal rights for all women and girls.
It needs to enforce its recent order to end forced wearing of the jilbab.
It should be a choice, not an obligation, for women and girls to wear the jilbab.