West Papua Human Rights Center

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
WP Human Rights Center
Location
Washington, D.C.

United States
Information
FoundedDecember 2018
Websitewphumanrightscenter.org

The West Papuan Human Rights Center is a United States-based human rights organisation. It was organized in late 2018 and launched in 2019 by the West Papuan representative to the United Nations and the US Congress, Herman Wainggai.

History[edit]

On December 14, 2018, the first meeting was held and the idea of establishing a Human Rights Center to document human rights abuse cases in West Papua came up. The idea was implemented one year later and was formally recognized by the United States government with the approval of the center as an official NGO on March 25, 2019.[1]

Objective[edit]

The main objective of the Center is to help educate the world about the Human Rights issues in West Papua by highlighting the issues facing the West Papuan indigenous people and the Indonesian government.

Mission[edit]

Indonesia formally occupied West Papua in 1969. The Indonesian government established military bases and police posts in major cities and towns in West Papua. A report published in July 2017 by Human Rights Papua stated that indigenous women were likely to suffer racial discrimination and physical abuse as a result of the occupation.[2]

The main objective of the Center is the collection and documentation of human rights abuses. Names and information associated with victims are recorded and maintained by the WPHRC.

Inaction on the part of the US government has led scholars and critics to call for changes in US approach. Only with the US government's participation, the center believes, will changes be favorable to both sides.[3]

The Center documents human rights violations in three categories: human rights, religious rights and environmental rights.[4]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "About us". wphrc. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  2. ^ Webb-Gannon, Camellia (November 23, 2015). "Salvaging Democracy for West Papuans in the Face of Australia-Indonesia Obstruction". The Asia-Pacific Journal. 13 (47). Retrieved 2019-09-01.
  3. ^ McWilliams, Edmund (Summer 2017). "Time for a New US Approach toward Indonesia and West Papua". In David Webster (ed.). Flowers in the Wall. University of Calgary Press, Calgary, Alberta. pp. 261–272. doi:10.2307/j.ctvf3w1x3.26. ISBN 9781552389560.
  4. ^ "Human Rights Abuses". WPHRC. Retrieved August 12, 2019.