1) Photos. Koteka Wenda spoke in Gadigal/Sydney on the 8 March.

1) Koteka Wenda spoke in Gadigal/Sydney on the 8 March. An informative meeting. 

2) The Coalition of Women Human Rights Defenders in Papua Conducts Silent Action

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1) Koteka Wenda spoke in Gadigal/Sydney on the 8 March. An informative meeting. 

Her main message is this: ‘If You Save West Papua ,You Save the Lungs of the World’

Thanks to Sister Susan for organising the great venue and to Peter Boyle for the photos.

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From Peter Boyle's FB page. 

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/15sHFgoyNw/?mibextid=wwXIfr

On International Women’s Day, it was a privilege to join friends in the Australia West Papua Association (Sydney) to hear powerful stories and songs from Koteka Wenda from the Free West Papua Campaign. She’s headed off to joint the Sydney IWD march now so please say hi to her and show your solidarity to this decades-long resistance to Indonesia’s hidden genocide, ethnocide and ecocide in West Papua.

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A google translate. Original Bahasa link

https://jubi.id/mamta/2025/koalisi-perempuan-pembela-ham-di-tanah-papua-lakukan-aksi-bisu/?fbclid=IwY2xjawI5l71leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHQ5XwZvc_7TPVnnsrbOSio0NjMtaBg2OVxQQ0vZmm6DqCaga4W0sEx7j6Q_aem_m-rQIPnv7Kjr2mNUvD8HHA

2) The Coalition of Women Human Rights Defenders in Papua Conducts Silent Action

Syofiardi Bachyul

Last updated: March 8, 2025 6:26 pm

Author: Aida Ulim

Editor: Syofiardi

Silent action carried out by the Coalition of Women Human Rights Defenders in Papua while commemorating International Women's Day at the Cenderawasih University Monument, Jayapura City, Papua on Saturday (08/03/2025). – Jubi/ Aida Ulim

Jayapura, Jubi – The Coalition of Women Human Rights Defenders in Papua Conducted Silent Action at the Cenderawasih University Monument, Abepura, Jayapura City, Papua Province, March 8, 2025. The action was held

The action to commemorate International Women's Day carried the theme "Respect, protect, and fulfill women's human rights in Papua”.

The women participants in the action carried posters that read 'women are not slaves to men', 'you like hitting women, you're stupid', 'stop sexuality and patriarchy is the past, equality is the future', and 'take firm action against officials who commit sexual violence'.

The person in charge of the action, Anasthasia Manong, said that the Coalition of Women Human Rights Defenders, especially in Jayapura, carried out the silent action on International Women's Day because they saw the current situation in Papua, where violence against women occurs and respect for women is still lacking.

This, she said, happened because most Papuans still carry a patriarchal culture and also women's rights are not seen as human rights.

"A real example that we see now is where the national strategic project has taken away the rights of indigenous people, especially women, and children. This has an impact on the loss of the right to life of indigenous people and that is one of women's rights," she said.

The current condition of women in Papua, said Manong, is that most are aware and know that commemorating Women's Day is important.

"But there are still many Papuan women who do not consider commemorating Women's Day important," she said.

In fact, she added, when commemorating Women's Day, women's rights are also conveyed.

According to Manong, currently there are still many young people who use social media to discriminate against other women.

"For example, there are women who still say that other women's hair is afraid of their necks. Then there are those who say that other women are ugly and have nothing. That's why we created this silent campaign, we want to let you know that those things are part of discrimination and insults against us," she said.

So, said Manong, it is necessary for young women and men who still carry patriarchal culture, not to do things like that to women.

"There are men who easily say that I have paid for my property, so I have the right to hit women, that's what should be eliminated. From this activity, men can see that using patriarchal culture in terms of human rights does not guarantee safety for women and children," she said.

Women, said Manong, have the right to express themselves wherever they are.

"Therefore, we as women who care about ourselves and women out there, are carrying out this action to tell men who still commit violence against women to stop, we have the same rights as you," she said.

Manong also conveyed a message to the government that the government has not fully paid attention to and even ignored women's rights, because there is still a lot of violence against women.

"For example, there are beatings of women, the government still doesn't care. Then the impact of the PSN (National Strategic Project) is that women are the most affected, because the place for women to find food is in the forest. The government doesn't see all that, it only thinks about how this project can run for the benefit of the government and the country," he said.

'Free food is not important'

Anasthasia Manong also said that Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) for students in Papua are not important, because they do not guarantee health for the Papuan people, especially children.

"Because when I come home from school, my mother has cooked at home for me to eat, so what is more important is how the government provides health workers and teachers to empower Papuan children in the interior. Regarding free food, in Papua, natural resources are quite abundant and mothers can cook for their children to eat every day," he said.

According to Manong, free food is not beneficial for Papuans compared to providing educational facilities, health, and teachers.

"And health for Papuan children in the interior who until now have not received proper education and health insurance," she said.

Coordinator of the Indonesian Young Women's Activists Forum for the Papua Region, Yokbet Felle, said that the women's action, in addition to commemorating International Women's Day, was also to see the current situation of women who are still 'not okay' and the state of Papua which is also 'not okay'.

"So that female friends took the initiative to campaign to show that in Papua's conditions which are not okay, there are still women who continue to stand up to speak out regarding the conditions in Papua, especially the military deployment and the seizure of customary land in Papua," she said.

In addition, she added, domestic violence and state violence are still ongoing and felt by women.

"For that reason, female friends chose this year's theme 'Respect, protect, and fulfill women's rights in Papua'," she said.

Felle said that in the implementation or government policies related to women, there are still many discriminatory regulations. Then, women's rights are still largely unfulfilled by the government, even the state.

Access to education for women, he added, is still lacking. Health services have also not been met, for example free health for healthy menstruation. For women giving birth, the state has also not fulfilled them.

"That is very clear from the state's neglect of Papuan women, especially those in conflict areas," he said.

Women whose land has been seized today, Felle added, which has an impact on the lack of clean water, all of that has not been noticed by the government. Especially women who are very vulnerable in situations like that.

"The hope from today's action is that we will continue to move to voice the conditions of women in Papua and can make small changes that can spark big changes for women in Papua," he said. (*)

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