From 1999-2011, Peace Brigades International provided protective accompaniment and participatory peace education to human rights defenders in Papua, Aceh, Flores, West Timor and Jakarta. A report about our past work can be read here: Our Work in Indonesia 1999-2011.
Following extended discussions with civil society organizations and other stakeholders, PBI began a new Indonesia Project in 2014. The project aims to promote human rights in Indonesia through strengthening the capacities of Human Rights Defenders in remote areas, with a focus on their ability to document human rights abuses, advocate to the Indonesian government and internationally, and build their personal security and protection networks.
We are collaborating with ELSAM (Institute of Policy Research and Advocacy) to conduct extended trainings for Human Rights Defenders, who are strengthening their skills through a combination of classroom activities, building advocacy and protection networks at the national level, and conducting field research. Twenty Human Rights Defenders have already completed these extended trainings, and have done field research covering a wide range of topics, including economic rights of indigenous women, the criminalization of political organizations, violations of labor rights of shipyard workers, socioeconomic surveys, and the impact of palm oil expansion. Other activities of alumni include coordinating a campaign to address religious-based violence, a speaking tour in Europe, working as a contributing journalist for an international news agency, organizing events to establish the truth of previous human rights abuses, accompanying legal cases of gender-based violence, and conducting their own human rights trainings for students and rural communities.
The Indonesia Project also collaborates with national human rights organizations to organize shorter trainings on specific topics such as Dealing with Aggression, preparing organizational security codes of conduct, and monitoring security sector reforms in conflict zones.
See news and articles related to Indonesia