Reliable support in unstable times
When you hear «Indonesia», you often think of the dream island of Bali, paradisiacal sandy beaches, lush rainforests and great cultural diversity. If you take a closer look at the world's fourth-largest country in terms of population, you will also notice some major challenges - including violence against women and children.
A national survey shows that one in four Indonesian women has experienced physical or sexualized violence - two of the most common forms of gender-based violence. However, only a fraction of these cases have been recorded by the police. Many of those affected do not report violent crimes - for example out of fear, because of social stigmatization or a lack of trust in the authorities.
In Indonesian society, many women are structurally disadvantaged and wives are even subordinate to their husbands under civil law. For example, women are legally considered guilty if they move away from their husbands due to domestic violence. Girls can experience extreme forms of heteronomy: Despite the ban, more than one million underage Indonesian girls are forced into marriage every year.
Impressions from Bandung (West Java, Indonesia), 2026. Photo: Rosa Panggabean for Mission 21.
Preventing human trafficking and violence
Financial hardship, patriarchal norms and family pressure also lead to many Indonesian women migrating to the cities or looking for a job abroad. Around six million Indonesian women currently work abroad. They are usually placed by agencies as domestic workers or caregivers, making them financially dependent on the agencies.
In Hong Kong, where around 150,000 Indonesian women work, domestic workers are particularly vulnerable to exploitation and abuse due to the obligation to live with their employers. Mission 21 supports the partner organization 'Christian Action« there, which offers affected women emergency accommodation as well as legal and psychosocial support. We are also working with partner organizations in Indonesia to prevent human trafficking and violence. We work with both churches and interfaith organizations and empower women across religious boundaries.
Social achievements under pressure
Since the election of President Prabowo Subianto in 2024, progress towards equality has once again been called into question by politicians - for example, a groundbreaking law from 2022, which actually brought decisive improvements in the fight against gender-based and sexualized violence.
The increasingly unstable political and social situation makes the work of our local partner organizations more difficult and at the same time all the more important. They have close cultural and religious ties with the local population and enjoy their trust. This can be seen, for example, at the «Pasundan Durebang Center» in Bandung (West Java). Women and children affected by violence as well as people with diverse gender identities and sexual orientations find protection and a wide range of support here, for example from psychologist Taty P. Suandi and pastor Cliff Edward Kasakeyan. You will learn about their work here know.
Background: The current situation in Indonesia
Would you like to know more about the socio-political context in which our projects are located? One year after President Prabowo came to power, the human rights organization Watch Indonesia! Balance sheet. The article offers a well-founded classification of the current developments and the challenges currently facing civil society in Indonesia.
Click here for the Watch Indonesia report! →More from the 2026 campaign
Two voices against violence
In Indonesia, a psychologist and a priest look where others look away. Find out how Taty P. Suandi and Cliff Edward Kasakeyan break taboos together and open up new perspectives for those affected.
