Siti Nur Faida Said, INDONESIA

About Siti

Siti is the Coordinator of Legal Assistance and Services at LBH APIK Makassar. She graduated from Universitas Islam Negeri Makassar in 2021 and has since been committed to improving legal services for women in conflict with the law.

The Challenge

Women do not receive adequate legal representation because of gender inequality within the criminal justice system. Women and children who are victims of violence are especially vulnerable because there are no legal protections provided to them by the state. This problem is exacerbated by discrimination against these victims from law enforcement officers.

The Innovation: “Legal Services and Assistance Projects for Women and Children Dealing with the Law”

Siti’s project aimed to ensure that female prisoners in the city of Makassar received legal assistance from lawyers and paralegals and that legal rights awareness increased among female advocates, assistants, and other law enforcement officials. Siti’s project had five main components. Firstly, Siti opened several legal consultation booths in places including the Makassar City Resort Police and Makassar City Rappocini Police that provided free legal services to a total of 75 women and children. Throughout the project, Siti and her team also carried out 35 detention visits to several detention facilities, including the Makassar Rutan and the Makassar Court. Based on the number of female detainees in Class I detention centers in Makassar, it is estimated that 50% of female prisoners accessed free consultation services as a result of the project.

Moreover, Siti and her team conducted a seminar on the Implementation of Law No. 11 of 2008 concerning Information and Electronic Transactions for law enforcement officers, aimed at responding to the rampant criminalization of women in the implementation of the law and raising awareness of online gender-based violence. The seminar was attended by 25 participants from various law enforcement institutions, including attorney’s offices and police stations. Throughout the project, Siti also conducted periodic discussions for 30 advocates and paralegals assisting human rights defenders, with the intention of providing a space to exchange best practices and build a united front that understands the systemic issues facing women in the criminal justice system. Lastly, Siti conducted a radio campaign on the theme: “Access to Justice for Women and Children in Conflict with the Law.