On Tuesday, November 1, 2022, Yayasan Inspirasi Indonesia Membangun (YIIM) convened a national webinar entitled "Realizing Synergy in the Empowerment Agenda for Survivors". The scientific and advocacy forum was hosted virtually via Zoom from 13:00 to 15:30 WIB, drawing 100 participants including human rights advocates, legal scholars, civil society representatives, and the general public.

The term "survivor" (penyintas) encompasses direct victims and their families, including witnesses, in priority criminal proceedings as designated under Law Number 31 of 2014 concerning the Protection of Witnesses and Victims. The statutory priority categories comprise: (1) Victims of gross human rights violations, both historical and contemporary; (2) Victims of terrorism; (3) Victims of human trafficking (TPPO); (4) Victims of money laundering (TPPU); (5) Victims of torture; and (6) Victims of corruption alongside other crimes under the jurisdiction of the Witness and Victim Protection Agency (Lembaga Perlindungan Saksi dan Korban / LPSK).

The webinar was convened as an inter-institutional forum to share experiences and formulate synchronized empowerment strategies for survivors. Through multi-stakeholder collaboration, post-crime rehabilitation can achieve a comprehensive, transformative, and sustainable impact for survivors.

Furthermore, the session served to educate the public regarding the necessity of psychosocial rehabilitation and socioeconomic empowerment for priority crime survivors. This is operationalized through vocational social entrepreneurship programs conducted collaboratively by LPSK RI and YIIM since late 2019. Drawing upon programmatic data presented by YIIM, a total of 18 collaborative initiatives have been executed, comprising 15 community empowerment projects, 2 educational aid programs, and 1 social humanitarian initiative.

Geographically, these collaborative interventions have spanned 18 provinces across Indonesia, encompassing:

Sumatra Region: North Sumatra, Riau, Jambi, and Lampung. Java Region: Banten, DKI Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, D.I. Yogyakarta, and East Java. Kalimantan Region: West Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, and East Kalimantan.

In terms of direct beneficiaries, the LPSK-YIIM partnership has supported 287 survivors with the following distribution: 240 survivors completed vocational social entrepreneurship courses; 46 survivors received educational support packages including books, backpacks, and school supplies; and 1 survivor received targeted medical assistance comprising protective masks, specialized medications, vitamins, and clinical health essentials.

The webinar opened with a keynote address delivered by Basil Fernando from the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), moderated by YIIM researcher Ega Melindo. The symposium featured two primary panelists: Dr. Maneger Nasution, S.Ag., M.A., Vice Chairperson of LPSK RI, and Chrisbiantoro, S.H., LL.M., Chairperson of the Board of YIIM. Their presentations were enriched by lived testimonies from survivors Mufti Ahbal (a survivor of terrorism under LPSK RI protection) and Wanmayetti (a crime survivor mentored by YIIM).

In his address, YIIM Chairperson Chrisbiantoro emphasized that the YIIM-LPSK partnership prioritizes psychosocial recovery and long-term sustainability through combined hard skills and soft skills training. Moreover, Chrisbiantoro highlighted a core advocacy philosophy: "For survivors, achieving economic self-reliance does not mean abandoning legal advocacy or accountability for their cases. Rather, financial independence becomes part of the moral movement and spiritual reservoir that fortifies their ongoing quest for justice."

Affirming this viewpoint, LPSK RI Vice Chairperson Dr. Maneger Nasution highlighted how the conceptualization of victims has evolved into "survivors"—individuals who rise above trauma to rebuild purposeful lives. He underscored that cross-sector synergy is indispensable for executing LPSK's legal mandate to fulfill victims' rights to comprehensive psychosocial rehabilitation, noting that LPSK cannot operate in isolation and requires robust inter-agency partnerships.

During the testimonials, Wanmayetti remarked that LPSK and YIIM seamlessly complement one another. She shared that participating in YIIM's vocational workshops equipped her with practical competencies and renewed agency to move forward. In turn, Mufti Ahbal, a terrorism survivor and alumnus of YIIM's barista training, expressed profound gratitude, sharing that his barista training and business starter kit enabled him to establish his own independent coffee shop, which now sustains his household's daily livelihood.

The full video recording of this informative webinar is accessible to the public via YIIM's official YouTube channel.

Looking forward, sustained collaboration across governmental institutions, civil society organizations, and corporate partners remains imperative to scale up transformative empowerment strategies and deliver equitable justice for all survivors nationwide.

Salam Inspirasi!