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Melan, 24, and her
mother Elvi, a biology teacher in Manokwari, West Papua
© UNICEF Indonesia/2014/Andy Brown
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MANOKWARI, West Papua province, Indonesia,
April 2014 - When Melan started college a few years ago, she got a
shock.
Melan’s family had always talked openly
about issues like safe sex and HIV/AIDS prevention. So the 24 year-old from
Manokwari in West Papua province felt prepared for greater independence from
her parents, setting off for college each day on her motorbike. But she soon
realised that not all of her friends had had the same support.
“I started to see how little information
some of them had about life skills,” she says. “Some of my friends are very
open and I would hear about their problems. Not so much drugs, but alcohol use
and pregnancies. Some of them were in violent relationships.”
Growing up as the daughter of a biology
teacher, Melan had found it easy to talk to her mother Elvi about safe sex.
Elvi teaches HIV/AIDS awareness in secondary school and would take her daughter
and her three other children along with her to awareness-raising activities.
“It’s normal in our family to discuss these
issues,” says Elvi. “I want my kids to be able to go out but also to be able to
protect themselves.”
Working Together
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Melan (left) joins
Youth Forum members in discussion at the Major café
© UNICEF Indonesia/2014/Andy Brown
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Melan wanted to do something to improve the
situation for her friends in college, so about six years ago she started to
become active in HIV/AIDS advocacy.
Eventually, she joined up with other
like-minded young people at the West Papua Youth Forum. The forum was founded
in 2010 with help from UNICEF, which trained many of its members as peer
educators on HIV.
The forum members meet informally at the
Major café in Manokwari. It’s a funky little coffee shop painted in shades of
orange, with light fittings made from tea pots, batik table cloths, and Rihanna
videos playing on a flat screen TV.
The setting may be hip, but the forum is
addressing some tough issues. The provinces of Papua and West Papua have the
highest HIV prevalence in all of Indonesia. Young people there also face other
challenges like unemployment, early pregnancy and drug and alcohol abuse.
The Youth Forum members count as their
greatest achievement so far the drafting of a youth policy for the West Papua
province, which they worked on with the provincial government. The policy
guarantees young people access to education, HIV/AIDS awareness and sexual and
reproductive health services.
“At a high level meeting last June there
was a declaration of commitment between the government and youth which is very
important,” says Rhoy, 29. “I’ve never seen the government and all the district
leaders sitting together to give a commitment like this.”
Energy and insight
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Yohan Rumwaropen
in his office in Manokwari
© UNICEF Indonesia/2014/Andy Brown
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As well as setting up the forum, UNICEF
helped assess the needs of young people in West Papua, and brought the
different parties together for discussions on the youth policy. We believe that
by involving young people directly in this process, the final policy is much
more likely to meet their needs.
“UNICEF gave us energy and new insight to
see and understand the issues related to young people here,” says Yohan
Rumwaropen, Director of the Provincial Youth and Sports Office in the West
Papua provincial government.
As the father of a 13-year-old daughter,
and a former youth leader himself, Yohan is passionate about the need to
improve the situation for young people in West Papua.
“I pray someday HIV will be eradicated
here. I have to do something to protect the young generation from HIV so I do
what I can to ensure there will still be young people here in future,” he says.
The youth policy guarantees HIV and life
skills education for young people. It also guarantees them access to sexual and
reproductive health services which are usually only given to married couples. And
it recognises informal youth organisations.
The policy represents a big step forward
for young people in West Papua, and Yohan expects that it will be signed into
law by the provincial legislature after local elections in April.
Thanks to UNICEF’s work in West Papua,
young people’s voices are being heard. A new generation of West Papuans are set
to benefit from greater access to HIV/AIDS awareness and sexual health services,
increasing their chances for a long, productive and safe life.
The author
Sarah Grainger is Communication and Knowledge Management Officer for UNICEF Indonesia
Sarah Grainger is Communication and Knowledge Management Officer for UNICEF Indonesia
