The Visit of Rifka Annisa NGO to PTA Yogyakarta

Yogyakarta | pta.yogyakarta.go - (13/01/10) – Thanks for the role of Rifka Annisa involving first-level judges and appeal judges in various activities of Rifka Annisa," said Chairman of High Religious Court (PTA) of Yogyakarta, Hasan Muhammad, as an opening line when receiving Rifka Annisa's visit in his office, Wednesday, (13 / 1).

Besides, Hasan Muhammad also asked Rifka Annisa that handled many cases of domestic violence that did not much revealed on the surface, to take any steps so that the suffering of womankind would not piled on. According KPTA, according to the provision of Law No. 23 Year 2004 on the Elimination of Domestic Violence (UUPKDRT). The goals of the elimination of domestic violence were to prevent all forms of domestic violence, to protect victims of domestic violence, to take action against perpetrators of domestic violence, and the last, to maintain the integrity of the harmonious and prosperous household.

KPTA Yogyakarta, accompanied by high judges, Qomaruddin Muzakkir and Judge of PA Bantul, Nur Lailah Ahmad, also saw that there was a presumption that UUPKDRT was an authority of General Judicature, not in the realm of the judicial area of religious court. Therefore there needed to be strategic steps for UUPKDRT to also enter the realm of religious courts.

The visit of Executive Board of Rifka Annisa to PTA Yogyakarta, consisted of May Shofia Romas (director), Catur Udi Handayani (division manager of assistance), Nurul lailia (Advocate), Hazara (division manager of advocacy and organizing), Aditya Putra Kurniawan (male konselor) and Saeroni (staff of public relations and media) beside to introduce themselves and to explain programs of Rifka Annisa, was also to submit the results of semiloka The Strategy on Integrating The Act of Elimination Abolition on Domestic Violence (PKDRT) which has been performed by Rifka with LBH APIK Jakarta on past November 16-17.

According to Sofie, from the results of Semiloka among others, were that there were still many religious judges who did not understand UUPKDRT implicated they did not yet put it in their considerations of decisions. Mei Sofia Romas also said that there were some recommendations from the results of semiloka (workshop seminar), which currently was in the discussion stage of a small team. It was expected that the small team could make recommendations to be sent to the stake holders to follow up. Especially to the Supreme Court, it was asked from the recommendations, among other, to issue a PERMA (Supreme Court’s Regulation) or SEMA (Supreme Court’s Circularize) which could be a reference for Religious Judges to integrate UUPKDRT in their decisions.

During the visit, occurred a quite familiar dialogue between the Rifka Annisa and KPTA Yogyakarta, especially about some of the constraints and advocacy cases found in the religious court proceedings. For those, Muhammad Hasan asserted that if seen the things not appropriate or there were any deviations, to report them to the PTA and the Director General. For the report KPTA would take steps for resolution.

According to Catur Udi Handayani, as a companion and advocacy organization, Rifka often faced obstacles to the execution of child and about the issues of court decisions regarding the rights of 1/3 of the salary for the wife if husband divorced her. Many judges in deciding divorce did not include these obligations with the excuse not to their authority, while the agency would conduct division of 1/3 salary for the wife, if based on a court decision.

At the end of that friendly meeting, Aditya Putra Kurniawan also explained that there was a program of  "new man" campaigned by Rifka Annisa. the meaning of new man is the man who does not highlight his masculinity, but rather the man who is family caring, honest, loyal and responsible.