Timor-Leste
From 1975 until 1999, women, children, men, and members of the LGBTQI+ community were subjected to various forms of conflict-related sexual violence during Indonesia’s brutal occupation of Timor-Leste. Despite the work of survivors and civil society organisations, decades have passed without their right to reparation being fulfilled.
Although many survivors are elderly, reparation remains urgent in Timor. Years of discrimination, limited access to healthcare, and unaddressed trauma have left many in poor health, affecting their quality of life and ability to fully fight for their right to reparation.
In 2023, GSF and our partners Asia Justice and Rights (AJAR) and Asosiasaun Chega! Ba Ita! (ACbit), began an interim reparative measures project across all 13 municipalities. We worked with 455 survivors of rape, sexual slavery, and sexual torture in detention centres, as well as children affected by and born of sexual violence. This included children forcibly taken to Indonesia, and those who survived abuse while serving as assistants to the Indonesian military.
Survivors chose to receive legal, psychosocial and medical support, and financial compensation. This was primarily used to fund education for their children and grandchildren, house renovations, and establishing livelihood projects. The project is referred to in Tetum as Bukae, likening the interim reparative measures to a vessel where provisions are packed for long journeys. Survivors say that interim reparative measures will help them on their long journey towards justice.
Project partners
2022
455
SURVIVOR PARTICIPANTS
1
MEMORY BOOK
For many, meeting other participants marked the first time they had ever spoken of the violence they suffered. Survivors were supported by dinamisadoras (community mobilisers), also survivors themselves, throughout the project.
We thought about fireflies and how they light up in the dark. When we come together, there is so much light.
Pirilampu network
Pirilampu, or ‘firefly’ in Tetun, is Timor-Leste’s first network for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence. While the network existed prior to the project, our work allowed Pirilampu to expand and further organise and register as an official network in 2025. Supported by AJAR and ACbit, Pirilampu members contributed to Timor-Leste’s draft reparations law and launched a nationwide advocacy tour, visiting villages across Timor-Leste to show a documentary explaining conflict-related sexual violence and its impact on their lives.
Memory book
As part of the Bukae project, more than 400 survivors chose to record their testimonies in a memory book, documenting the violence they suffered during the Indonesian occupation. Ten memory books were produced and launched in ceremonies across Timor-Leste in the spring of 2026, preserving a collective record of what happened for future generations.
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