World Human Rights Day

The National Commission on Human Rights is organizing a caricature exhibition and competition as part of events ahead of World Human Rights Day, which falls on Dec. 10. Sixty caricatures, from 278 entries, have been short-listed for the competition, titled “Human Rights in Indonesia: Now, Then and Future“, which was officially opened Tuesday.

Here’s more from the Jakarta Post:

Yosep Adi Prasetyo, the commission member responsible for organizing the event, said they began accepting caricatures in September.

The 60 short-listed caricatures touch on a variety of topics, including gender justice, domestic violence and child exploitation.
They were selected by a panel of judges made up of prominent caricaturists, political observers and journalists.

“Their drawings reflect the way the competitors perceive the problems of human rights violations in Indonesia and how they invite viewers to get the implied message,” Yosep said.

In a brief speech at the event on Tuesday, Ridha Saleh, deputy director of the rights commission, said Indonesia had yet to deal with numerous human rights violations.

These unresolved cases date back as far as 1984 when soldiers shot hundreds of protesters in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta.

Ridha said the commission had recently noticed a shift in the type of rights violations taking place in the country.

“Before the 1998 reform movement, human rights violations were dominated by the kidnapping and physical abuse of activists. The current trend is dominated by corporate environmental, social and economic violations that affect communities.”

He pointed to mining company PT Lapindo Brantas, which is at the center of the mudflow in Sidoarjo, East Java, that has forced thousands of people from their homes.

In addition to the caricature exhibition, which ends Monday, the commission also organizes a book bazaar, talk shows, movie screenings and discussions to mark the global rights day.