Papua conflict
The Papua conflict is an ongoing conflict in Western New Guinea between Indonesia and the Free Papua Movement (Organisasi Papua Merdeka, OPM). Subsequent to the withdrawal of the Dutch administration from the Netherlands New Guinea in 1962 and implementation of Indonesian administration in 1963, the Free Papua Movement has conducted a low-intensity guerrilla war against Indonesia through the targeting of its military, police, and civilian populations. Papuan separatists have conducted protests and ceremonies, raising their flag for independence or calling for federation with Papua New Guinea, and accuse the Indonesian government of indiscriminate violence and of suppressing their freedom of expression. Indonesia has been accused of conducting a genocidal campaign against the indigenous inhabitants. In a 2007 book, author De R. G. Crocombe wrote that it has been estimated that between 100,000 and 300,000 Papuans had been killed by Indonesian security forces, and many women raped or subjected to other sexual violence. Research on violence toward Papuan women by the Papuan Women's Working Group together with the Asia Justice Rights (AJAR) found 64 out of 170 (or 4 out of 10) Papuan women surveyed in 2013, 2017, and the most recent study from 2019, found 65 out of 249 Papuan women experienced some form of state violence. According to previous study and former political prisoner Ambrosius Mulait, most violence against Papuan women happened because of domestic violence by husbands and Papuan cultural views toward wives considering they have been 'paid'. Indonesian governance style has been compared to that of a police state, suppressing freedom of political association and political expression, although others have noted conflicts in Papua are instead caused by the near or total absence of state in some area. Women's rights activists, such as Fien Jarangga, support movement towards independence. The Indonesian authorities continue to restrict foreign access to the region due to what they officially claim to be "safety and security concerns".
