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.