A cohort of nine grassroots human rights defenders from six different provinces across Indonesia attended a four month training, from mid-February to mid-June 2017, in Jakarta, where they developed skills in safety and protection mechanisms, human rights law, and techniques to monitor and investigate human rights cases in the field. The training, supported by ProtectDefenders.eu, covered the full spectrum of human rights, and developed research projects to look at topics including support for women victims of human rights abuses, environmental and social impacts of large-scale agribusiness, access to education and healthcare in rural areas, and violence against women and children. A highlight of the training was a briefing hosted by the German Embassy, with representatives of 13 different embassies engaging with the HRDs to learn of the threats and challenges they face in their work.
A compilation of research from previous trainees has been translated into English and can be downloaded at: http://elsam.or.id/2017/05/writing-for-rights-human-rights-documentation-from-the-land-of-papua/
