Senator Bob Carr has announced Australia will assist around three million Indonesian women with jobs, family planning and increased protection against domestic violence.
'Indonesia continues to make strong progress in women's rights, education and jobs. Nearly half of all school students are girls, and more women than men are enrolled in universities,' Senator Carr said.
'But there's more to be done, especially in rural and eastern Indonesia where female literacy, income and reproductive health are poor. The contrasts with Australia are stark – an Indonesian woman is 30 times more likely to die in childbirth, than her Australian counterpart.'
'Many women continue to have little or no say in communal decision-making – a result of poor economic and social standing. That's why we're reaching out to three million rural women – helping them with jobs, anti-violence programs and choices on whether, when and how many children to have.'
'And this program has strong Indonesian support – another sign of Australia's close relationship with our northern neighbour,' Senator Carr said.
The $60 million initiative over four years will help poor women with:
- finding local jobs, including removing discrimination at work
- social programs like health care and schooling for children so women can return to work or find new jobs
- maternal and reproductive health, including contraception and family planning advice
- advice and protection for women working as domestic helpers overseas, and
- regional services to protect women against domestic and communal violence
AusAID will work with Indonesian Government, civil society, parliamentarians and the private sector to reform policies and regulations that impact on poor women.
This new $60 million program, AusAID's largest gender initiative, was announced during Senator Carr's visit to Indonesia from July 13 – 17.
More information
Foreign Minister Carr visits Australian aid programs in Indonesia