‘I could only cry and scream’: Instances of bride kidnapping in rural Indonesia prompt calls to abolish practice

JAKARTA: Ms Melati was feeding her 11-month-old son outside of her brother’s house on Sumba island last month, when a group of men suddenly approached her.Ms Melati, not her real name, screamed, thrashed and tried to free herself from the more than a dozen men who she did not know.“There was nothing I could do. There were many of them,” she recounted.

In the now viral video, a woman, not Ms Melati, was seen being carried by five shirtless men who held her tightly while she cried. He said that several incidents had ended with the women marrying the men, but he is not aware if such practices have ever ended in a divorce.READ: Alleged sex attacks on schoolgirls in Thailand prompt national reckoning on patriarchy, gender bias

To prevent it from happening, Mr Fadaq said the government must work hard to educate people that it is not allowed for women to be abducted. However, after talking with the family of the groom-to-be, the woman in the video who has been named as R by local media, is believed to have agreed to the union.

The cousin also pointed out that if R had wanted to escape, it would have been possible since her parents’ house was nearby. A sumbanese woman holding a baby carries a bucket contain water at a village in West Sumba in East Nusa Tenggara Province. “It is a crime which uses tradition as an excuse,” she told CNA.

“There must be a comprehensive step to eradicate practices of violence against women in the name of tradition or customs in society. Over time, there have been different forms of marriages. Among them is a situation where cousins may marry each other, but it must be done properly, she said. To end the practice, she said it is important to educate people that men and women have the same rights. And this education has to start at home.

During the visit, the minister signed a memorandum of understanding between the provincial East Nusa Tenggara government and the regional government of Sumba showing their commitment to end the practice.

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