INDONESIA: Nur Laila Hafidhoh, M.Pd, Director of LRC-KJHAM

 

Nur Laila Hafidhoh, M.Pd, Director of  LRC-KJHAM

by Ismi Novia

I have known Yaya, that is how her friends call her, for more than 10 years now. Borb=n in a small village called Demak, 500 km from Jakarta makes her resilient to defend human rights, especially human rights in her local reality.

As GREAT Co-Founder, having LRC-KJHAM, a defender for human rights NGO led by Yaya, as our local partner who deploying our international and local volunteers to support their grassroots’ activities mainly with women with high risk of human rights abuse, in Central Java area, I witness her evolvement as a local hero of human rights defender in Indonesia.

She started her curiosity in the field ever since her student time in University 15 years ago by joining youth club called PMII (Indonesian Muslim Student Movement) in which she was active in one department name (LPSAP) Development of Study & Advocacy for Women. Through this activity, she found the NGO LRC-KJHAM open for volunteer position. She then joined the NGO as a volunteer at first, and step by step get her way now 15 years later as Director.

The last 10 years of our time working together, she was working from grassroots area; organizing groups of local women in many areas, villages or slum areas in cities and villages in Central Java area. Those areas and women target group are mainly with high risk of human rights, particularly women rights abuse in domestic setting as well as international setting such as women trafficking. She facilitates them to learn about human rights, national law and international law for immigrants. To get them into understanding their rights and stand tall upon bullying and abusing in domestic setting as well as to be strong persons from fake promises of labor agencies in Indonesia who might traffic them to abroad.

In additional to her experience in hosting international volunteers for years placed by our organization, GREAT,  Yaya experienced one international training course in the frame of Erasmus+ in 2018 together with me in Poggio Mirterto, Italy. There was one Erasmus+ project about raising awareness of gender based discrimination in Asia & Europe in which GREAT & LRC-KJHAM worked together in local level to create local actions in Central Java Area. She found it as a significance change for her and her NGO to broaden their network and enriching their Education Department to outreach more of youth audience in Central Java area to be involved in human rights defend actions. Non formal learning methods that she learnt through international voluntary service and Erasmus+ brought new approach for young people to care more the human rights issues.

LRC-KJHAM is the leading NGO in advocating women’s, labors’, immigrants’, and human trafficking cases especially for marginalized people in Indonesia. They also are actively involved in writing the white paper & urging the law of sexual abuse to be issued by government since at least the last 10 years. Yaya has been evolving herself from a village born girl into a human rights defender for people around her. For Yaya, we are human who live side by side with each other and with nature; it is our duty to live in harmony with all creatures. It is her call to defend those who are weak and need help, simply because we all have the same rights.

Great info: greatindonesia.org;  Instagram: great.indonesia

LRC KJHAM info: lrckjham.id; Instagram:  lrckjham