Public discussion on single mother in Yogyakarta 2014

RGS in collaboration with local church authority in Yogyakarta conducted the meeting 15 May 2014. 

Public discussion was aimed to disseminate issue of single mother among parish priests and church activists in Yogyakarta. 80 participants consist of priest, nuns, male activists, and female activists attended program.

After seminar, 80 participants decided to do follow up action by collecting name list of catholic single mothers in their neighborhood. They will contact the good shepherd and parish priests for further action.

Monitoring Bylaw (Local/village law to combat human trafficking) 2014

RGS conducted 4 activities to monitor Bylaw (Local Law)

• 23 January 2014 RGS conducted meeting in Ulu Belang village to monitor the progress of local law implementation. 20 village stakeholders attended the meeting and agreed to socialize the local law to villagers in adat houses.
• 23 january 2014 RGS conducted meeting with church leaders in Papang Parish. RGS visited 3 priests and monitored their role in implementing  local law of Ulu Belang Village.
• 24 January 2014 RGS discussed with village stakeholders of Todo to monitor the progress of forming local law to combat trafficking. Todo village has difficulties to continue the making of local law because village stakeholders were dissagree to have anti-trafficking law in their village. RGS found out that some of stakeholders were money lenders and they got benefit from people who want to work abroad.
• 28 October 2014 RGS conducted meeting in ulu belang village to monitor the implementation of local law. 18 vilage stakeholders attended meeting to share their experience in implementing local law. They informed RGS that worker recruiters were not come to their village since they socialize local law on anti-trafficking.

Training Anti Trafficking for Seminarian 2014

Empowering community to involve in combating human trafficking was the outcome of training for seminarian in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara.

Training was held in Seminari Yohanes Paulus II Labuan Bajo on 5 November 2014.

Seminarians were enthusiastic on discussion session. RGS showed movie "Empty Man" as the way to start discussion. It was surprising because one of seminarian was family member of victims in the movie and he told that the movie was real. Seminarian agreed that human trafficking is serious issue in their village but only few people knew it. Seminarian suggested that they could be part of group to combat human trafficking. The first action they would write articles on human trafficking in Seminary magazine and school magazine. 

After training the principal of seminary requested 211 seminarian to conduct socialization in their place of origin and make report to the seminary. Seminarian came from 35 villages in Manggarai East Nusa Tenggara. Approximately more than 1000 people received socialization from seminarian.

In December 2014, seminary student produced wall paper on trafficking topic.

Initiative to Create an Integrated Services in Local Government of Manggarai and Diocese of ruteng 2014

Providing better services for victims of human trafficking from Manggarai, RGS initiated an integrated services in Manggarai Distrik. In collaboration with, JPIC Ruteng Diocese, IOM, and Ministry of Women Empowerment and Child Protection, RGS conducted two initiative meetings

·      Socialization of trafficking and the working group to combat trafficking for religous leaders of Ruteng Diocese and Manggarai stakeholders. It was held in STKIP Ruteng on 2 November 2014 with 67 participants.

·      Meeting to discuss steps to establish anti-trafficking task force in Manggarai. It was held in Diocese Ruteng meeting room  on 3 November 2014 with 37 participants consist of government apparatus and church delegates.

RGS worked together with IOM, Ministry of Women Empowerment and Child Protection (MoWE) and Ministry of Social Welfare to initiate anti-trafficking task force in District Manggarai. We began lobby with Diocese of Ruteng to invite church leaders and local government apparatus to have training on trafficking and to discuss how government and church can help the victims of trafficking. Outcome of the program is Anti trafficking task force initiative group consist of government and church delegates in Manggarai.

Day of girl Activism to combat violence 2014

RGS conducted day of girl celebration on 11 October 2014 at Function Room Gramedia bookstore in Jakarta. 215 participatents attended the event. RGS divided the event in three activities as follow:

Ø  Group discussion

RGS divided participants into 10 groups and facilitated by trainers. participants discussed about violence against girls on everyday activities in society and family. They also learned about the root of gendered based injustice and commented on it. Through role short movie, participants understood about violence against girls and the way to stop it.

Ø  Interactive talk

3 experts shared their experiences to deal with children victims of violence. In the talk participants learned how to stop violence and how to report violence against children. Participants also learned about problems of child marriage.

Upon the program, 215 participants know the international day of the girl as the way to give equal rights for the girls. The activity gave 150 children information on how and where they file reports if they experience physical, sexual, and gender based violence. RGS involved 4 NGOs to conduct the program. RGS also invited 6 NGOs attending program. As the result 6 NGOs together with RGS formed a networking group to combat violence against children especially girls and planned to create girl day campaign in October 2015

Publication on human trafficking: Film

In colaboration with Social Communication Commission of Diocese Ruteng, RGS published an exclusive film on Human trafficking. Title of the film was “EMPTY MAN”. RGS has distributed 235 copies to religious leaders and grassroots activists.  

The movie narrated life stories of trafficking victims died in Malaysia. Family members found out that the corpse were empty without organ. The movie explained Manggarai people migrate to Malaysia for money. They smuggled into Malaysia from kalimantan and Batam without knowing any risk they would have in destination country. Most of them were uneducated and unskilled but they thought Malaysia would be best place to get better income.

The movie was viewed in 10 places with more than 800 viewers. It received positive responses from religious leaders and Flores communities. RGS used this movie to socialize trafficking issue among Manggarai people in Flores and other places.

Basic Christian communities to combat trafficking in Batam

Providing up to date information and knowledge to identify trafficking threat are the outcome of program assisting basic Christian communities to combat trafficking in Batam. 

The meeting was held in Punggur community on 9 September 2014 with 23 participant shared experiences of human trafficking cases in their neighborhood. "I don't know that I was trafficked by my relative to Malaysia 15 years ago if I don't attend this meeting" said one participant. "In this area, we see a lot of people recruit job seekers from their villages and accommodate these people in small houses with very bad facilities and they could not go anywhere like a prisoner. I am sad but I don't understand that this is as a form of human trafficking" said Darsono. All participants were enthusiastic telling their experiences. They realized that they might not be able to stop it but they could stop their family members from trafficking vicious cycle.

The activity received positive responses from 4 Parishes in Batam. The activity is redesigned due to the responses of parishes. RGS provided modules on trafficking topic for basic Christian community facilitators of 4 parishes. Together with Commission of Migrant Diocese Pangkal Pinang, RGS made a planning to train community facilitators of four parishes at Batam in 2015.

Karya Tasih Girls Learning Human Trafficking

RGS conducted socialization of Human trafficking to unwed pregnant girls at RGS shelter "KARYA TASIH" in Yogyakarta on 13 March 2014. 

The activity was aimed to prevent girls and babies from trafficking acts upon their return to family and society. 19 pregnant girls participated in the activity. 

Half of the residence were under 18 years old and most of them must leave their school due to pregnancy. Knowing that traffickers recruited school drop-out girls, they made commitment for not easy to believe in strangers especially people who promise them a lot of money.

Karya Tasih is one of RGS Shelter for unwed girls in Indonesia. Providing knowledge on human trafficking was one RGS effort to prevent former shelter residence to be victim of trafficking.

Socialization of anti-trafficking for youth of Riau Island 2014

This socialization was conducted by the youth volunteer (KOMILI). KOMILI is abbreviation of Komunitas Migran Perduli or Migrant Care Community. The group was initiated by RGS to support RGS programs to combat human trafficking in Batam. 

Providing up to date information and knowledge to identify trafficking threat are the outcome of program socialization for youth in Riau Islands. RGS planned to conduct socialization to 100 youth of Riau Islands. KOMILI believed that they managed to conduct socialization for more than 100 youth. 

In realization, 800 youngsters of Riau Islands attended the program on 28 June 2014. RGS with KOMILI worked together with commission of youth and commission of migrant in diocese of Pangkal Pinang to conduct youth camp. After socialization 800 youngster got knowledge on trafficking and they will share their knowledge to their parents. The 800 youngster were informed that if they experienced and or felt threatened of being trafficked they should go to police station or catholic churches in Batam. 

KOMILI received positive responses from priests, nuns, and church activists for their knowledge and their passion to combat human trafficking in Batam. Their hard-work to facilitate 800 youngsters has made more people participated in combating human trafficking.  

Capacity Building for Single Mother Leader in Jakarta 2014

Capacity of single mother to organize community is important. RGS believes that single mother have ability to participate in decision making for the community. Making their voice is heard was the purpose of RGS to conduct capacity building for single mothers community leaders in jakarta.

Capacity building on how to facilitate group meeting for single mother leaders was held in two meetings: 2 February 2014 and 2 march 2014. DR. Kristi Poerwandari facilitated activities and 10 single mothers attended.

Every month, single mothers practiced what they had learned in the training by presenting certain topic at single mother community meeting.

Nervous, happy, and confident were their common feeling.

"It is never late to learn something good" said one of participant in an evaluation process.

Integrating church services to support single mother family in Yogyakarta

Program was aimed to make church stakeholders aware of problems of single mothers and children. RGS visited church stakeholders in Yogyakarta and Semarang to discuss possibilities for diocese of semarang to support single mother in Yogyakarta. RGS activities included:

-      26 January 2014 visited stakeholders in semarang to discuss programs for single mother in Yogyakarta. Head of Family life commission gave his support to RGS for assisting single mother in Yogyakarta. He admitted that single mothers have a lot of issues in society but Archdioces Semarang has lack of resources  for them. At this meeting, RGS was invited to conduct socialization on Single mother issue to other commission in Semarang. It was fruitful meeting for both Archdiocese Semarang and RGS indonesia.

-      16 May 2014 visited vicar of Yogyakarta and stakeholders of Commision of family in Yogyakarta to discuss public awareness on single mother issues and data gathering on single mother in Yogyakarta. Vicar informed us that community for single mother was one of the need in Yogyakarta because a lot of single mothers had met him for counselling. Through vicar recommendation RGS was connected to family life commission in Yogyakarta  

Capacity building for single mother community leaders to manage credit Union 2014

The program was aimed to give knowledge for single mother community leaders to manage credit union. 

It was conducted in two phases:

-      First training was held in Good Shepherd boarding house Ruteng on 24 – 26 Januari 2014 with 50 participants attended. Topic was about basic knowledge on book keeping for credit union and how to make rules for the group.

-      Second training was held in Efata retreat house on 7 – 9 Nov 2014 with 29 participants attended. Topic was about advance knowledge on book keeping for credit union.

At the second meeting RGS invited only groups that have difficulties to manage credit union due to lack of knowledge. Result of the program is that 50 single mothers are responsible to manage credit union in 12 groups with total number of member approximately 240 women. Because of training, 12 groups are using similar books and rules.

Drop in center for victims of trafficking 2014

Based on RGS experience, the most common problem among victims of trafficking is the lack of skill to work independently. RGS began drop in center program in 2014 targeting victims of trafficking. Empowering victims through skill training is outcome of the drop in center program. Program was conducted in Batam and jakarta. RGS set up connection with local social department to get permission to conduct activities both in Batam and Jakarta.

• RGS in Batam held the program in prostitution area. RGS made 3 activities include cooking, sewing, and hand-crafting. RGS met challenges that made the program must be stopped after third meeting.
• RGS in Jakarta focused the program on beauty training. 98 victims participated in beauty training class. They learned hair treatment, skin treatment and make up. Since beauty treatment is common trend, RGS hoped they would start simple make-up and hair job for villagers in their home. 

One victim from Medan currently work as beauty treatment helper in a beauty salon.

Training for GS teachers and GS school administrators to combat human trafficking in Jakarta

At the beginning of 2014, RGS conducted training for the Good Shepherd teachers to combat trafficking. Potential trafficking victim get up-dated information about human trafficking is outcome of training program for teacher and administrator of the Good shepherd school Jakarta.

Training was conducted on 4-5 January 2014 at Rumah Retret Samadi Jakarta with 53 participants.

RGS invited IOM to talk on current situation of trafficking in Indonesia based on IOM services data. IOM distributed books and flyers on human trafficking for all of participants. 

The training was attended by two volunteers from Netherland supporting by MM. They shared their experiences on dealing with trafficking victims in the Netherland and how the government responses to victims of human slavery.

Upon the training:

• 40 teachers of elementary school and junior high school conducted socialization to their students. 368 students of junior high school and 627 students of elementary school received information of human trafficking from teachers.
• 4 teachers of kindergarten conducted socialization of human trafficking to 40 parents on 11 January 2014.
• 4 administrator of the school allowed teachers to conduct activities related to combat trafficking.
• 3 volunteers got knowledge on trafficking and used it to conduct their duty.

This program gave direct benefit to 53 participants and indirect benefit to 1035 people. Total number of beneficiaries in this program was 1088 people.