Dili, Timor-Leste, 10 December 2025 – Since the 25th of November 2025, Pirilampu Women Survivors Forum have proudly led a nationwide campaign calling for official recognition of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.
The initiative featured daily screenings of Bukae: Survivors Walking Towards Justice at Pirilampu Municipal focal points. Produced with support from the Bukae team and Australian volunteer filmmakers, the documentary highlights survivors’ journey from self-identification to collective advocacy and engagement with lawmakers. It is a snippet of the Bukae program and reflects decades of work toward reparations and recognition.
Following each screening, Pirilampu and Bukae facilitated discussions with community members, leaders, and civil society representatives on recognising survivors as equal contributors to Timor-Leste’s independence. Participants were invited to endorse a petition urging the Government to grant official recognition.
One participant remarked, “While veterans are celebrated for holding guns, women are often forgotten for sacrificing their bodies for independence.”
The campaign concludes today, International Human Rights Day, with confirmed five members of Parliament having attended various screening, and 700 signatures gathered from students, veterans, leaders, and government officials. Pirilampu plans to submit the petition alongside a draft reparations law in the coming months, with the support of Centro Nacional Chega! (CNC) of Timor-Leste and the Global Survivors Fund (GSF).
While fighting alongside survivors has been decades long work, the Bukae program would not have been possible without the generous support of GSF, and our collaborators ACbit and partners on the ground. Now a legal organisation, Pirilampu continues to unite survivors and children born of war, demonstrating that collective action with communities and leaders can advance justice.
For further information on Bukae program and Pirilampu, please visit here, here, and here.