Since she was a Psychology student at the University of Indonesia, Myra spent a lot of her time studying women’s issues and feminism, which became the subject of her thesis (S1) and also her MA thesis. Myra also raised women’s issues when she participated in discussion groups with female workers in Jakarta. In 1985 she co-founded Kalyanamitra and for the subsequent 12 years under this organization she was active in agitation as well as gender awareness activities for activists and intellectuals from various segments, that the label “radical feminist” was attached to her. In addition, Myra was also intensely involved in issues on violence, specifically violence against women, through researches in various regions, such as East Nusa Tenggara, Papua, and other regions.
Her grave concern for violence against women moved her to co-found a women’s crisis center, Rumah Ibu, in 1996, which is a shelter for victims of domestic violence. Myra was a counselor in this center. She continued her role as an ideologue, became facilitators at various educational/critical thinking activities, popularly known as social analysis, collaborating with various civil society organizations (CSOs) at different sectors almost throughout Indonesia.
She is still committed to her field of expertise, but is now working in a different organization where she is the Commissioner of The National Commission on Violence Against Women. This Commission was established based on the Presidential Decision No. 181/1998. It was founded to meet the civil society’s demand that the State responds to violation of women’s rights. Myra also joined the Women Research Institute (WRI), a feminist research institute. ***
