How a Knowledge Equity Fund Grantee and a Wikimedia Affiliate Collaborate on Human Rights: The Partnership Between KontraS and Wikimedia Indonesia

The Wikimedia movement plays a vital role in advancing and protecting human rights, particularly freedom of expression and access to information. Our free knowledge projects rely on these fundamental rights, and we are committed to breaking down barriers to access, ensuring equitable participation for all.

At the regional level, Wikimedia movement affiliates have been instrumental in addressing these barriers by facilitating for reliable, neutral, and freely accessible knowledge, free from censorship and influence by state or corporate actors. In Indonesia, access to credible information on human rights remains limited, in part due to the sensitive nature of these topics as perceived by the government. Despite this challenge, opportunities for progress have emerged, particularly through partnerships. One such example is the collaboration between KontraS, a Knowledge Equity Fund (KEF) grantee, and Wikimedia Indonesia.

The Knowledge Equity Fund is a grant initiative launched by the Wikimedia Foundation in 2020 to support organizations outside the Wikimedia ecosystem that are working to advance knowledge equity. Its aim is to address systemic barriers, including racial and social inequities that prevent marginalized communities from accessing or contributing to free knowledge.

KontraS (The Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence), a leading human rights NGO in Indonesia, was selected as one of the third-round KEF grantees. KontraS advocates for democracy and human rights by ensuring the state upholds its responsibility to protect its citizens. With KEF support, KontraS launched the Human Rights Documentation Center (PUSDOKHAM), with three core components:

1. Establishing a comprehensive human rights archive in Indonesia—documenting advocacy efforts, cases of abuse, and the work of human rights defenders.
2. Providing a platform for citizens to report human rights violations.
3. Serving as an education hub for research methods in human rights monitoring.

To amplify the impact of PUSDOKHAM, KontraS identified Wikimedia Indonesia as a strategic partner. Through its stewardship of projects promoting the use of Wikimedia projects in the languages of Indonesia, Wikimedia Indonesia is well-positioned to support human rights activists in documenting their work and making information on human rights more accessible to the public.

Following a series of planning meetings, KontraS and Wikimedia Indonesia formalized a collaboration in which Wikipedia editing workshops were integrated into PUSDOKHAM’s Training of Trainers (ToT) program on Human Rights Research and Monitoring, held in three regions with ongoing human rights challenges: Merauke in Papua, Ternate in Maluku, and Balikpapan in East Kalimantan.

From February to April 2025, experienced Indonesian Wikimedians from Wikimedia Indonesia facilitated these workshops, training local activists on how to contribute to Wikipedia and Commons, and encouraging them to become part of the wider Wikimedia movement.

Based on my experience, communities in Indonesia’s remote areas are genuinely enthusiastic when introduced to Wikimedia projects. They readily grasp the potential these initiatives hold for fostering their progress. However, due to the historical scarcity of information regarding these projects, they are highly eager for future collaborations, particularly in getting their youth engaged with the broader free knowledge movement (Ichsan Mochtar – Trainer from Wikimedia Indonesia).

The program concluded with a final in-person ToT session in Jakarta from May 18–22, 2025, where selected activists from the three regions deepened their skills. Wikipedia editing remained a core component of the curriculum, reinforcing the practical use of Wikimedia platforms to document and share human rights knowledge.

“This collaboration with Kontras provides a valuable opportunity to enrich Wikipedia with human rights-related knowledge. Beyond content partnership, it fosters a deeper exchange of insights and perspectives (Hardiansyah – Wikimedia Indonesia).”

This partnership has empowered Indonesian human rights defenders with the tools and knowledge to document their work in ways that are globally accessible through Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons. More importantly, it has opened the door for continued collaboration beyond the life of the grant.

The Knowledge Equity Fund Program has greatly supported activists in various regions. Training sessions in four areas on research and monitoring, supported by Wikimedia Indonesia, have enhanced participants’ capacity to conduct more in-depth research on human rights situations in their areas. This has also provided them with alternative spaces to campaign on human rights issues more broadly by utilizing Wikipedia (Islah Satrio – KontraS)

While the Knowledge Equity Fund may have concluded, the relationship between KontraS and Wikimedia Indonesia continues to grow stronger. What began as a grant-supported project has now evolved into a sustainable partnership laying the groundwork for more impactful initiatives in the future. And it all began with the Knowledge Equity Fund.