Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch calls for more international scrutiny of West Papua

The organisation's Jakarta based researcher, Andreas Harsono made the call following an announcement last week that no more than five Papuan political prisoners remained behind bars in Papua and West Papua, down from 37 in 2016.

Mr Harsono said while the release of political prisoners was a positive step, more needed to be done to address serious human rights abuses committed by Indonesian security forces in the Papuan regions.

He said a UN special rapporteur on Freedom of Expression should be allowed to visit West Papua.

Mining company promotes anti- violence message

“PNG is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a woman or girl, with an estimated 70 per cent of women experiencing rape or assault in their lifetime,” the 2016 World Report stated.  

“While such acts have long been criminalied and domestic violence was specifically proscribed under the 2013 Family Protection Act, few perpetrators are brought to justice.”

A mining company on the island of New Ireland is using cycling to promote the anti-violence message.

Image of dead child on beach haunts and frustrates the world

It captures everything we don't want to see when we tap our phones or open our newspapers: a vicious civil war, a refugee crisis, the death of an innocent.

Largely because of social media, the image of little Aylan Kurdi is hammering home the Syrian migrant crisis to the world. Aylan died along with his 5-year-old brother and their mother when their small rubber boat capsized as it headed for Greece.