News & Updates 30 January 2015

Seeding victims to become human rights defenders

Dealing with past abuses is challenging to Indonesia’s democracy. A key element to rebuild a nation struggling for the truth of history is to hear and include the experience of survivors of the violence during the New Order dictatorship. To grow a locus of truth and reconciliation in the community level, AJAR held a training of trainers for survivors of past abuses.

Following the national workshop on building grass root community learning centers held in June 2014, AJAR gathered participants from survivor communities in many regions of Indonesia in January 2015. They came from various periods of human rights violations from 1965 to 2005. The survivors were trained to problem analysis and problem solving using critical education approach and trauma healing methods. The training is a pilot project to grow seeds of community learning center in their respective locality as the source of knowledge and a tool for social change from the grass root.