Adrianna Venny

Adrianna Venny

“I have a lot of friends active in the women’s movement, that made me become more interested in gender mainstreaming in Indonesia,” says Mrs. Adriana Venny, the author of the recently published UNDP gender study “Here to Bring a Change: Reflection of the Experience of the 2004-2009 Women Members of Parliament”.

Mrs. Venny was born in Semarang, 22 May , 1970. She lived in Bandung and Jakarta, where she became involved in the women movement. She participated in the work of various non-governmental organisations, such as Yayasan Jurnal Perempuan, and international gender-based consortiums, such as Aliansi LSM untuk Revisi Undang-Undang dan Konsorsium Representasi Perempuan di Parlemen untuk Reformasi. Mrs. Venny has been working as project coordinator for a number of international organizations concentrating on gender and has conducted nation-wide media campaigns on violence against women for USAID, UNIFEM, IOM, UNAIDS, Internews and UNFPA.

Being part of the Indonesian women movement for almost ten years, Mrs. Venny feels quite optimistic about the future of women in Indonesia. “Although the Indonesian culture is quite patriarchal, I see quite a positive development for women at the grass-roots level,” she says. “It is at the decision-making level where we lack progress,” Mrs. Venny concludes. 

Mrs. Venny has to travel often for her work. This has not been a problem as she receives tremendous support from her family. “My husband is helping to take care of our six-year old daughter when I am away,” Venny says. “My daughter also receives good grades at school, which makes me very proud of her,” she continues.

Mrs. Venny received her bachelor degree in International Relations from Parahyangan Catholic University in Bandung, and her Master of Philosophy from the University of Indonesia in Jakarta.

Mrs. Venny is also the senior researchers for the UNDP Gender Project, ”Women’s Participation in Politics and Government: A Support Initiative for the Women of Indonesia” which will be ready for the Beijing +15 Meeting in New York in March 2010. Her other writings can be found in the Jurnal Perempuan, The Jakarta Post, and Kompas.