Yotam Wakum

DTP alumnus Yotam Wakum is a volunteer legal expert at the Biak Customary Council (BCC) in West Papua, Indonesia. He provides free legal advice to members of his community and others.

West Papua is home to over 250 Indigenous Peoples with their unique languages and cultures. BCC is an assembly of clan chiefs on the island of Biak, where Yotam was born and raised.

From his childhood Yotam was exposed to deep seated injustice towards his community. His parents died when he was a child at elementary school, leaving him and his nine siblings to navigate life’s hurdles alone. Yet, it was amidst these struggles that Yotam found his calling—to stand up for the voiceless.

This was one of his motivations to get involved in advocacy to defend his community. West Papua, was the Dutch colony of Irian Jaya before it was integrated into Indonesia in the 1960s.

The decades since have seen continuing conflict and human rights violations. Indigenous Peoples have seen their land being taken – for mining, logging and plantations and through the settling of Indonesians from across the Indonesia archipelago. Loss of land has gone hand in hand with loss of language and culture and traditional knowledge systems. Access to independent monitoring by the UN and international human rights NGOs has been denied. The Biak massacre by the Indonesian military in 1998 attracted rare international attention and condemnation.

Yotam says, participation in the DTP training helped him gain valuable advocacy and campaign insights about defending Indigenous Peoples’ rights.

“Through DTP training I gained valuable insights about how to effectively advocate for the rights of the Indigenous Peoples. The training provided me with essential negotiation skills to navigate complex situations where Indigenous rights are at stake, ensuring their voices are heard and their rights are upheld. I used some of the techniques learnt from the training in negotiation with the military and government.”

Another takeway from the DTP training for Yotam was that he now often thinks of incorporating diplomacy into his advocacy work.

“I remember that DTP training emphasized on the importance of protecting Indigenous Peoples’ rights while seeking mutually beneficial solutions. Following the DTP training, I have engaged in discussions with community members, advising them not to hastily sell their lands. Instead, I encourage them to think of exploring alternatives such as entering into beneficial contracts. By doing so, they will be able to safeguard their land from exploitation and ensure its sustainable use.”

The DTP training was also instrumental in fostering his professional networks and friendships. In the DTP training, Yotam met Sabela Gayo, an Indigenous Peoples’ rights defender from Aceh. Now, many years later they are working together in alternative dispute resolution and mediation – building peace. They came to Australia on the same visit to build contacts and networks and visited the DTP office together.

Yotam hopes that in future DTP can organize training programs for the youths of West Papua.