Projects

Human rights in Papua

In the Indonesian province of Papua, tensions have escalated. This is mainly due to the misuse of power and human rights violations by the Indonesian army. The political ambitions of the Papuans are suppressed.
 
The situation in Papua is further characterized by:
  • A lack of good governance
  • Social and economic inequality between Papuans and migrants from other parts of Indonesia
  • Destruction of the environment due to mining and large-scale logging
  • Tensions between different Papuan ethnic groups, because for example they have different political visions on the future of Papua.

 

End of activities by Justitia et Pax

Until 2011, Justitia et Pax worked with national and local partners, for example in lobby at national and international level. This enabled religious leaders in Papua and civil society organisations with a philosophical basis to make their voice heard. Human rights violations in Papua were successfully placed on the policy agendas of The Netherlands, Europe (European Commission, European Council ) and the United Nations (UN).

Because of a decline in funding, with effect from January 2011, Justitia et Pax can no longer continue the cooperation with Papua.
 
History As a Dutch colony, Papua was part of the Dutch East Indies. Following Indonesia’s independence in 1945, Papua remained a Dutch colony under the name of Dutch New Guinea. In 1963, the United Nations granted control of the territory to Indonesia, on condition that the population could decide for itself whether to pursue autonomy or to continue under Indonesian rule.
 
'Act of Free Choice'
During the subsequent process of public consultation in 1969, known as the 'Act of Free Choice', Indonesia put the population under strong pressure to vote for Indonesian rule; and successfully so. The name of the province was changed to Irian Barat, and later changed again by President Suharto into Irian Jaya. In 2001 the name was changed back to the original Papua, which is now divided into the provinces of Papua and West Papua.
Links
  
 
 
Father and son, Kagua, Papua (photo: UN/W. Stone, 1997)
Father and son, Kagua, Papua (photo: UN/W. Stone, 1997)