The Center for International Legal Cooperation (CILC), in cooperation with the Van Vollenhoven Institute (VVI), facilitated a specialised two-week training program on Capacity Building for Witness and Victim Protection for the Indonesian Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK).
This initiative marks a significant step forward in strengthening the capacity of LPSK to protect witnesses and victims of crime, aligning it with international human rights standards. Mr. Freddy Martin Panggabean, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in The Hague added that “the training program was a clear example of legal cooperation between Indonesia and the Netherlands and a way to show how this cooperation has evolved and diversified in the last years” he also expressed his optimism about the possibility of finding another scope of cooperation after this training.
The training took place between the 27th of May and the 7th of June at the premises of Leiden University. LPSK played a pivotal role in selecting the 15 participants who joined this training or the “the future leaders of LPSK” as mentioned by Dr. iur Antonious PS Wibowo, S.H., M.H., Vice Chair of LPSK.
The training sessions involved active participation through take-home assignments focused on producing a roadmap on the future of LPSK. The training encompassed both theoretical and practical components, ensuring a holistic learning experience for the participants. The theoretical modules included an introduction to international human rights, with a particular focus on gross human rights violations as defined by the Rome Statute. Participants were also introduced to international criminal proceedings, the protection of witnesses and victims of crime, international human rights law and enforcement mechanisms, victim recovery, criminal evidence, and a comparative analysis of witness and victim protection laws in EU countries.
Participants has the opportunity to discuss strategies for the protection of witnesses and victims, techniques for managing evidence and data, and best practices for managing the Victim Trust Fund, and they received guidance on developing a roadmap for improving witness and victim protection at LPSK. The training also included field visits to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and Dutch organizations such as Slachtofferhulp and Schadefonds Geweldsmisdrijven (SGM), which provided valuable insights into their operational frameworks.
The training was enriched by the expertise of Prof. Mr. Dr. Adriaan Bedner, Dr. R.R. Rhea Mammen, and Mr. Henk Frencken, along with Indonesian facilitator Ms. Vera Seraijswati under management of Mrs. Emily van Rheenen. This initiative marks a significant step forward in strengthening the cooperation between CILC, LPSK in cooperation with VVI.
