Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection emphasized the importance of including women, children, elderly people, people with disabilities, and marginalized communities in creating inclusive and gender-friendly policies.

"Efforts must be made to increase participation from these groups and incorporate their input to ensure comprehensive development programs and policies," said Titi Eko Rahayu, the ministry's acting secretary, in a statement released on Saturday.

She said that various strategies and initiatives have been developed and proven effective in tackling gender issues, yet there are issues that have not been resolved.

One of the main causes is the institutionalized culture of patriarchy, not only in everyday life but also at the levels of policies, socio-cultural, economic, and political development sectors.

"The issue restricts women and other vulnerable groups from participating in development," she said.

Rahayu underscored that currently, in deliberation forums, women's roles are more focused on the administrative part, or their involvement is still minimal.

She also said that, in fact, the handling of issues such as violence against women and children and reproductive health needs the perspective of women so that the implementation can be right on target.

She stated that Indonesia has capital in the form of progress in policies, budgeting, and program implementation, among others, the launch of the Women-Friendly and Child-Caring Village (DRPPA) initiative.

Apart from that, the ratification of Law Number 12 of 2022 on Sexual Violence Crime and gender-responsive budgeting are also some of the efforts that the government has made to accommodate the needs of vulnerable groups.

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Translator: Anita Permata, Raka Adji
Editor: Anton Santoso
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