Since the 1960s, it is estimated that 500,000 West Papuans have been killed since Indonesia took over West Papua. Human rights violations have continued to take place since that time, perpetrated by the State, which includes arbitrary arrests of human rights defenders, extrajudicial killings, torture, and disappearances. In addition to these forms of violence, gender-based violence and environmental crimes remain rampant.
Violence between the government and different factions, leads to a significant amount of internal displacement and military forces use the situation against armed factions as a pretext to indiscriminately hurt women and children. In the 2022 Universal Periodic Review cycle, multiple Papuan organizations reported that Papuan women experience “abusive interrogation and horrific torture” while detained by Government forces. There has been zero accountability in these situations. Further, mining, deforestation, and land grabs, fueled by corporates who continue to cause pollution and have caused environmental destruction of rainforests, mangroves, and water bodies.
