Yayasan Citra Mandiri Mentawai (YCMM) held a paralegal training for women's groups, youth, and community leaders. This event was held in Muntei Village and Malancan Village, on May 27-29, 2024. This training was held at the Multipurpose Building owned by the Siberut National Park Office Region II in Pokai Hamlet, Muara Sikabaluan Village, North Siberut District.
The purpose of this training is to provide legal knowledge and skills to participants. So that they can help solve legal problems in their communities.
According to Law Number 16 of 2011 concerning Legal Aid, paralegals are people who are trained and have knowledge and skills in the field of law. Although not professionals in the field of law, paralegals play an important role in reaching access to justice, especially in rural and remote areas such as the Mentawai Islands.
In this region, marginalized groups such as women, children, and people with disabilities are often victims of sexual violence. The high number of cases of sexual violence and other gender-based violence in the Mentawai Islands is the background to the importance of this training.
This paralegal training aims to improve participants' knowledge and skills in understanding legal mechanisms. Both in handling cases and assisting victims of sexual violence. In his speech, the Head of YCMM, Rifai, expressed his hope that the participants would be able to defend and assist victims of sexual violence.
They are also expected to be able to encourage and oversee the handling of cases by law enforcement officers. As well as inviting all elements of society to prevent acts of sexual violence.
Malancan Village Secretary, Ardi Sakela'asak, also expressed his hope for participants, especially from Malancan Village, to take this training seriously. He expressed his concern about the increase in cases of sexual violence in his village, with seven cases reported in 2023.
Handling of these cases is generally only resolved through customary law which does not have a deterrent effect on the perpetrators. Also, it has not been able to provide protection and recovery for the victims. Therefore, the role of paralegals is highly expected to reduce the number of cases of sexual violence and protect vulnerable groups.
The training presented Feni Mardian from the Women Crisis Center (WCC), Nurani Perempuan and Dechtree Ranti from the Padang Legal Aid Institute (LBH) as speakers. They emphasized the importance of creating a “safe space” for women, children, and people with disabilities.
In this training, participants are taught various materials aimed at strengthening their knowledge and understanding of gender-based violence and the role of paralegals in assisting victims.
The training was attended by 25 participants, most of whom came from women and youth groups. Palentinus, a participant from Muntei Village representing the Karang Taruna group, stated that he was often involved in handling sexual violence cases through customary justice. However, he wanted to push the handling of cases to the formal legal process. He was very happy to be able to attend this training to gain knowledge and skills about the formal legal process.
Dian, a young woman from Malancan Village, said that the process of handling sexual violence cases in her village often weakens the victims because of the negative stigma from the community. Perpetrators of violence, on the other hand, are often free and well-received by the community as long as they can pay the customary fine. Dian hopes that through this training, she can help create change in the handling of sexual violence cases in her village.
This paralegal training activity is expected to increase community capacity in handling and assisting cases of sexual violence. YCMM hopes that participants can become active actors of change in inviting all elements of society to prevent acts of sexual violence and condemn perpetrators of violence. With the hope that it can have a positive impact on efforts to protect women, children, and people with disabilities in the Mentawai Islands.
