This publication, ‘Sa Ada Di Sini: Suara Perempuan Papua Menghadapi Kekerasan yang Tak Kunjung Usai’, is first released in the Indonesian language in June 2017 and followed by an updated, English version titled ‘I Am Here: Voices of Papuan Women in the Face of Unrelenting Violence’ in March 2019. Both versions can be accessed through the links at the end of this post.
This publication compiles action research conducted from 2013-18 by members of the Papuan Women’s Working Group (PWG), an informal group established as a collaboration between Asia Justice and Rights (AJAR) and five Papuan organisations. The purpose was threefold: 1) to strengthen the voices of women victims of violence; 2) to take steps to counter impunity with practical local action; and 3) to strengthen understanding about the social-economic causes and impact of violence as experienced by indigenous Papuan women.
This action research included participatory tools to document the experiences and voices of Papuan women. We created a process for “listening-in” to women who were speaking candidly about their own lives. Key themes were documented and reflected upon by members of the working group and other experts. The PWG, together with Komnas Perempuan (the National Commission on Violence against Women), launched a narrative and video report based on the stories of 170 indigenous women, in Bahasa Indonesia at the Papua Governor’s Office in July 2017. In 2018, we conducted another round of action research involving 79 participants. This report includes the cumulative findings and key themes that emerged from this new round of action research, bringing the total participants to 249.