The struggle for natural resources is a classic conflict in Indonesian history. In many cases, conflicts often involve conflicts between the interests of groups of citizens and the interests of more powerful parties such as the government or capital owners.
When conflicts develop into the legal realm, citizens are generally the weaker party due to their limited knowledge of the law. This is where community paralegals come in.
As happened in the Watukodok area, Gunung Kidul, Jogjakarta.
For generations, residents around Watukodok beach managed the beachfront land for farming. After the construction of the road around the beach opened access for outsiders to come to the beach, residents around Watukodok took advantage of this opportunity to start opening kiosks and offering tourism services.
After Watukodok beach began to be crowded with visitors, investors began to look. However, investors came with the intention of managing the beach without involving residents who had been managing the beach area for generations. Conflict was inevitable. Some residents supported the development initiated by investors, while others rejected it outright.
How can citizens resolve these conflicts by avoiding violence as much as possible? And what is the role of paralegals and legal aid organizations in this?
In the documentary video "Kathok Abang" produced by TIFA Foundation and Watchdoc Documentary Maker, Watukodok residents try to defend the land they have been managing. One of the Watukodok residents, Suradi, received paralegal education under the tutelage of Lembaga Bantuan Yogyakarta and used his legal knowledge to fight the intimidation experienced by the residents.
Read the story of Suradi and other Watukodok residents in defending their source of income.
TIFA Foundation and partners are committed to expanding access to legal aid, especially for grassroots communities and minority groups, one of which is through community paralegal education in collaboration with legal aid organizations spread across Indonesia.