CRSV: The Papua Conflict
This case note documents the occurrence of sexual violence in violent conflict. It contains explicit mentions of different forms of sexual assault. Reader discretion is advised.
Background of the conflict
The Papua conflict is an ongoing conflict in Western New Papua Guinea, between Indonesia and the Free Papua Movement (Pike, 2009). After the Dutch administration withdrew from the Netherlands New Guinea in 1962, and the Indonesian administration took over in 1963, the Free Papua movement began a low-intensity guerrilla war against Indonesia by targeting its security sector and civilians alike. Papuan actors have conducted protests and ceremonies, raising their flag for independence (Crocombe, 2007). Several have also called for a federation with Papua New Guinea. These actors accused the Indonesian government of conducting a genocide against indigenous communities in West Papua New Guinea (Anderson, 2015). The conflict is estimated to have resulted in 100,000 to 500,000 deaths (Jacob, 2019).
Prevalence of sexual violence
According to the Papuan women’s working and group Asia Justice Rights, as many as 64 women out of 170 surveyed in 2013 reported facing some four of state violence, including sexual based violence (Free West Papua Campaign, 2017). Studies also show that many instances of sexual violence were perpetrated by the state and military alike, to target both men and women (Braithwaite et al., 2010). Several instances of violence were actively perpetrated to grab land and drive out indigenous communities (Csevár & Tremblay, 2019).
Basis of the use of sexual violence
Sexual and gender-based violence have been and continue to be used to further a campaign of genocide and ethnic erasure targeting indigenous communities in the region. In several instances, sexual silence has been used to enable land grabbing and the forced displacement of indigenous communities. It has also been carried out to deliberately torture, intimidate and humiliate those targeted. Aside from this, the culture of impurity has enabled the rampancy of opportunistic sexual violence.
References
Anderson, B. (2015). Papua's insecurity: state failure in the Indonesian periphery. Honolulu, Hawai'i: East-West Center.
Braithwaite, J., Braithwaite, V., Cookson, M., & Dunn, L. (2010). Anomie and violence: Non-truth and reconciliation in Indonesian peacebuilding. Anu Press.
Csevár, S., Tremblay, C. (2019). Sexualised Violence and Land Grabbing: forgotten conflict and ignored victims in West Papua. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/wps/2019/08/21/sexualised-violence-and-land-grabbing-forgotten-conflict-and-ignored-victims-in-west-papua/
Crocombe, R. G. (2007). Asia in the Pacific Islands: Replacing the West. Suva, Fiji: IPS Publications.
Free West Papua Campaign (2017). 4 out of 10 West Papuan women found to have been subjected to Indonesian state violence. https://www.freewestpapua.org/2017/10/19/38-of-west-papuan-found-to-have-been-subjected-to-indonesian-state-violence/
Pike, John (2009). "Free Papua Movement" http://www.fas.org/irp/world/para/papua.htm
