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My name is Ofélia Valente. I am 30 years old
and I live in the village of Chai. I am unemployed.
I live in Chai - Chahau with my dependent child. I
don't have the money to pay for my child to go to school.
He should be going to the SMP (junior secondary school)
but I don't have the money to help him. I cannot buy
anything for him, not even clothes, exercise books or
pencils. I must find some money so that we can live.
I am sorry to say how bad things are for us.
From 1975 on I understood that as a Timorese woman,
I must fight for my own freedom and also for the liberation
of Timor Lorosa'e. I had to assist our men in the fighting,
because we Timorese men and women together, we form
the whole society.
When the Javanese first invaded Timor they didn't come
to rape and violate Timorese women, but because they
wanted to fight a war against Falintil and Fretilin
(the resistance). Later, Timorese women came to be sexually
abused by the Javanese army. The women didn't want to
have sex with the Javanese army, but they were afraid
and saw that they had no other choice. The military
threatened them and called them Falintil supporters.
The women knew that they must do anything to satisfy
the military or they would be killed. These women served
the Indonesian army, not only in order to save themselves,
but also to save the rest of the population in the village.
They are left with children from these relationships.
Now, these women have no jobs, no income, and no possibility
of educating these children who depend solely on them.
Now, they need and deserve help from outside to support
these children: to help educate these children and to
give them a proper start in life in the villages in
which they live.
Although in Indonesian times, the women of Timor Lorosa'e
lived with the terrible suffering and troubles of which
I have been speaking, now I would say that Timorese women
do have rights. They have the right to be safe, to be
safe from sexual violence, to express their own thinking,
to find liberation, to have some means of support for
the children and to see a future for their children.
The traditional culture for the ordinary people of
Timor Lorosa´e is very specific in the way in
which the rights and place of women is safeguarded.
This is especially true for the women of our district,
Lautém. The traditional custom of Brideprice
safeguards marriage and sets a value on women. Here
our tradition is for the groom's family to give 77 buffaloes
before the marriage. But, for 24 years the Javanese
violated this tradition, and the result is many social
problems due to women and children being left without
support.
In the near future I will contribute what I can to
the new nation, according to my ability. We women are
ready to contribute our part and to help our men. Within
the OMT (national Timorese Women's Organisation) strategy,
I will carry out whatever tasks I am asked to do in
the future.
We thank you for hearing our lamentations and our troubles
and especially those of our children, and on behalf
of all the women who have been left in a very bad situation
after the occupation of the Javanese aggressor I thank
you very much.
2 September, 2001
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