The Centre for Human Rights, Multiculturalism, and Migration (CHRM2) hosted an internal discussion with Organisasi Gaya dan Warna (Ogawa)—an organization which gives legal support and advocacy for vulnerable communities, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. The event was held on Tuesday, March 19th and was attended by the Chairman of the organization, Agus Utama, and was warmly welcomed by the CHRM2 team.
In his speech, Agus Utama expressed his concern of seeing many plaints regarding violence and sexual abuse toward the LGBTQ community in Jember. He asserted that Ogawa is dedicated to achieving equal rights and dignity for those marginalized groups. Ogawa is also committed to cooperate with the local Department of Health (Dinas Kesehatan Jember) in preventing the transmission of HIV/AIDs and providing accesses for those who need HIV testing. Based on city records, Jember has the highest rate of HIV/AIDs in East Java.
As a human rights research centre in Indonesia, CHRM2 hopes that the discussion can be a gateway for Ogawa to collaborate in synergistic efforts with the Centre to improve advocacy and research on human rights, especially in the issues related to vulnerable communities.