Nurhikmah Kasmar, INDONESIA

About Nurhikmah

Nurhikmah works at LBH APIK Makassar, where she is responsible for conducting advocacy and providing legal assistance in cases involving violence against women, children, and other vulnerable groups. As a woman advocate with legal expertise, Nurhikmah aims to minimize gender discrimination during the legal process. She is dedicated to upholding the mandate of the 1945 Constitution, which guarantees equality before the law and human rights, by working to address violations committed by state officials.

The Challenge

Nurhikmah has identified that cases involving violence against women and children are often handled poorly due to the limited number of advocates and legal assistants available to support female clients. Additionally, law enforcement officers often lack perspective and adequate training on the issues faced by women and children in conflict with the law. This results in an insufficient legal response to their cases and pervasive gender discrimination within the legal system.

 

The Innovation: “Encouraging the Protection of Legal Rights for Women Dealing with the Law”

The objective of Nurhikmah’s project was to ensure that women and children have access to legal assistance through extensive collaboration with the government and law enforcement officials. Nurhikmah launched her project by organizing a meeting with the Chief of Police to facilitate access to detainees and to work collaboratively on protecting the rights of the accused. Throughout the project, Nurhikmah and her team of female lawyers conducted nine legal consultations, supporting a total of 50 women in conflict with the law. She also held three legal discussions for lawyers and human rights defenders to create a unified front that could expedite access to appropriate legal aid. Additionally, Nurhikmah organized an awareness event to inform the general public about women’s basic rights and to disseminate updated information on criminal justice reforms, including Law No. 12 of 2022 concerning the Crime of Sexual Violence. This event was attended by 95 people.