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ABOUT/KONA BA

 

Asosiasaun Chega! Ba Ita is a small and active NGO in Dili, Timor-Leste which aims to:

  • Support women survivors with trauma healing workshops
  • Increase women survivor’s capacity through nutrition and business training
  • Bring together families separated by conflict and assist children of war
  • Lobby for the recognition of women survivors by relevant government and non-government bodies
  • Educate the public on women’s history, human rights, and gender-based violence in the past and present
  • Pay tribute to women survivors at memorial services
  • Research and publish materials with national and international researchers

Our history:

After the declaration of its independence from Portugal in 1974, Timor-Leste experienced a violent Indonesian occupation (1975-1999) that left one third of the population dead and the rest of the country traumatised. Women were particularly vulnerable and suffered unspeakable violation of their rights including physical and sexual violence.

Following a transitional period under the UN administration, the Reception, Truth and Reconciliation Commission (CAVR) was set up to investigate human rights violations committed during the occupation and resulted in 204 recommendations for the newly established Timorese state.

Since 2010, ACbit has been campaigning on the findings and recommendations of CAVR, creating a public dialogue to acknowledge past violations of women’s rights and lobbing relevant government and non-government bodies to implement essential policies and services to support survivors and victims of violence.

Our recent highlights include:

  • A panel discussion called “Women Help Women” and fundraising event for women survivors across Timor-Leste, funded by UN Women, Japan Embassy, Australian Embassy, HIVOS, AJAR, & TimorTelecom.
  • The #16DAYS campaign for no violence against women and girls and a survivors historical tour of Baucau in 2018 which was funded by UN Women and the Japan Embassy.
  • Participation in a 3 country comparative participatory research project with 69 women survivors in Baucau, Covalima and Oecussi. This was for the future launch of a Trainers of Trainers (TOT) manual which was funded by UN Women and the Japan Embassy.
  • Support for more than 120 women survivors’ economic projects in cooperation with the Ministry of Social Solidarity.
  • Outreach and education for young people using popular education materials based on the CAVR report, Chega Mobile! and Chega Visit!

Click here for the ACbit brochure:

http://chegabaita.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Asosiasaun-Chega-ba-ita.pdf

Our Partners :

 
AJAR is a non-profit organization whose aim is to contribute to the strengthening of human rights and the alleviation of entrenched impunity in the Asia-Pacific region.
Chega! is the final report of the Timor-Leste Commission for Reception, Truth, and Reconciliation generally known as CAVR, its Portuguese acronym. The title of the report, means ‘stop, no more’ in Portuguese. It was chosen to sum up the single most important message that victims of the 25-year conflict wanted CAVR to highlight and to inform its recommendations.
The AJAR Learning Centre, Kampung Damai (or the ‘Peace Village’) in Bali, Indonesia serves as an ideal venue for learning. Nestled in a simple eco-environment of aged teak, thatched roof buildings and a lush garden setting, Kampung Damai’s main training room is purpose-built, with spaces within the grounds for group discussions.
Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation in East Timor (CAVR)