Advocacy, Collecive and Asserive Ac- ions

RIGHTS AIPP AIPP Regional Capacity Building Program - Training Manual on the UNDRIP 177 withdrawal of military detachments inside indigenous territories. These mobilizations – rallies, dialogues, pickets, etc. – succeeded in causing the pullout of abusive soldiers and military detachments that were committing human rights violations and causing social problems like gambling and drunkenness. 2. The information and education campaign of the government’s Commission on Human Rights now includes collective rights of indigenous peoples, which was not part of its human rights education in the past. This reflects the mainstreaming and integra- tion of indigenous peoples’ rights education in different languages, which was a result of the sustained lobby and advocacy by Philippine indigenous peoples for the inclusion of indigenous peoples’ rights in the general human rights framework. India 3. In the Naga area in Manipur, Northeast India, peoples’ protests to remove the military outpost from the town were successful. Women’s organizations were able to rescue civilians arrested by the military. Indonesia 4. The Alternative Report on ICERD submitted to UN Committee on ICERD 1 June 2007 by Indonesian Civil Society Movement included indigenous peoples. The report brought up the issue of racial discrimination, including the discrimination against in- digenous peoples suku Anak Dalam, Dayak, Papua by various laws and policies, and by government projects and private companies in and around indigenous territory. The report also touched on issues of racial discrimination against certain ethnic groups. Re- sponding to this report, the government opened up to linkages for discussion with civil society, including indigenous peoples’ organizations.

B. Actual Exercise of Human Rights

EXAMPLES OF ACTUAL EXERCISE OF HUMAN RIGHTS Indonesia 1. In the community of Ambon, Maluku, the military was behind the conflict be- tween two religious groups among the people. Community leaders used the adat, or the customary way of conflict resolution, which resulted in the withdrawal of the military. 2. Community protection of forests against private companies and protected areas is seen in the Lorelindu National Park in Indonesia. The indigenous women’s organi- zation is strong in the locality, and is able to protect the forest using customary forest management. A woman leader from Natatoro, organized under the village government, is renowned for her leadership in the struggle to protect their forests. Note: Adat has a long history in Indonesia as part of the legacy of Dutch colonial rule. In this sense, village government could be also called adat government. When the indigenous peoples’ movement grew stronger and succeeded in its lobby especially at the Module-8 RIGHTS AIPP AIPP Regional Capacity Building Program - Training Manual on the UNDRIP 178 international level, adat also became a popular “internal term” in Indonesia to refer to indigenous peoples. Burma 3. Formerly, forced labor was a common practice, which the government justified in the name of the common good or for national development. Local groups who opposed the practice lobbied international bodies like the UN and human rights bodies. They were able to put international pressure on Burma’s government to recognize the prob- lem of forced labor until it was formally abolished.

C. Lessons Learned

To know and understand our basic human rights makes us more alert to human rights viola- tions. When there is collective knowledge of violations and whole communities are motivated to act in response, human rights becomes a major social issue. States, as the main culprits in human rights violations, are not expected to be impartial edu- cators on human rights issues. More often than not, state efforts merely misinform and confuse the people by twisting some human rights concepts. Thus, indigenous peoples must develop their own strategy and methods, and to conduct their own program, in human rights information and education. Some human rights mechanisms may not be available in our country because the govern- ment did not sign certain international conventions and covenants. However, we should still raise the awareness of communities and the public at large about these mechanisms, so that we can more effectively assert our rights and campaign for the government to ratify the relevant international instruments. TIPS IN ASSERTING OUR HUMAN RIGHTS Know our rights Even if the government has ratified an international human rights instrument, there is no guarantee that the rights of indigenous peoples or the relevant sector will be pro- tected. Often, civil society has to demand that the government adhere to their ratifica- tion commitments. Knowing our rights also ensures that we can tackle local human rights issues in the broader context of the relevant UN human rights mechanism. Once an issue is identified together with the relevant mechanisms for redress, we can take more effective action. Link human rights mechanisms to local issues • Look at your community – do they know and understand their rights? • If not, raise their awareness to the level where they can recognize violations to their rights and encourage them to act. • If yes, involve them in discussions on types of action they want to take. Module-8