Named "yappa maradda", this rite, which consists in the abduction of wives, continues to be perpetuated on the island of Sumba in Indonesia. But voices are raised to stop this infamous tradition.
"The local populations call this action 'capture of wife', a practice considered as part of the customs which have survived in this community since Antiquity," reports the media Kompas. In Indonesia, and more precisely on the island of Sumba , in the east of the Indonesian archipelago, catches of wife take place, a disconcerting tradition for many inhabitants.
On June 16, a video scandalized the country. The images show a young woman crying and screaming as she is brutally lifted by five shirtless men who grip her feet and hands and try to carry her away like a common bag of potatoes. The archaic act of capturing or abducting women to force them into marriage therefore continues to be repeated. A loyalty to an ancestral religion, called "marapu ", and its megalithic funeral rites. The incident angered and condemned a number of groups, churches, women's and human rights organizations.
A degrading practice for the dignity and status of women, as Kompas reports. The latter cries out loud and clear that the state must protect these women.
Voices rise
“These acts can no longer be tolerated. These crimes against humanity terrorize the women of Sumba, who have no power over their bodies and whose complaints are ignored. It’s very perverse ”, explained to Kompas Herlina Ratu Kenya, secretary of the local branch of the Alliance of Indonesian Women Theologians.
"The victim's voice must be heard. Because all this time, this torture leaves a deep trauma which is never heard.", Said also the president of the Network of women theologians in Indonesia (Peruati), Aprissa L Taranau.
According to Kompas, Peruati calls on the government to immediately issue local regulations, which stipulate that the capture of a wife is a criminal offense. An effective deterrent method according to them. And the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection, as well as the National Commission for Non-Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan) are invited to send teams to the field to rescue women and stop these harms.
"The women victims of marital capture are kidnapped in public spaces. Although they resist but they are powerless because they are beaten, then hidden in the houses of the kidnappers who want to marry them. They are closely watched so that they do not They are also vulnerable to rape, "said Sylvana Apituley, professor of Indonesian theology and vice-president of the World Council of Reformed Churches.
"We must not underestimate this crime. These marriages degrade the dignity of women and human dignity. These serious acts of violence are violations of the human rights of Indonesian women protected by the constitution and other national laws," said -she adds.
The Minister of Women's Rights and Child Protection, I Gusti Ayu Bintang Darmawati, expressed concern that such practices still exist in Sumba. So she dispatched a team to investigate.
Kompas claims that these cases of "yappa maradda " almost never go to court. The victim’s family and friends are reluctant to file complaints for fear of breaking customary law.