Each month, we profile a committed NHRI staff member from across the APF network. This month, we meet Sasanti Amisani from Indonesia's NHRI.

Name and role:

My name is Sasanti Amisani and I work at the Indonesian National Commission on Human Rights, Komnas HAM. I have been working at Komnas HAM since 1997, first working in the monitoring division and then in various other divisions, until being assigned to the public relations division this year.

Could you tell us a bit about your role?

My role involves supporting Komnas HAM to communicate its work to the public. This involves cooperating with my colleagues in both the public relations division and throughout the organisation. My other role is to support and manage annual program planning.

What do you love about your job?

What I like most about my job is that I can study the progress of the human rights situation at the national, regional, and international level. I also got the chance to meet various people working in the field of human rights including those working in government, non-government organisations and academia.

Furthermore, working in human rights gives me the opportunity to understand the best practices of human rights promotion.

What’s the most challenging aspect of your job?

The most challenging aspect of my field of work are the budget constraints to support public relations activities and the understaffing of the public relations division. In a broader sense, adding more staff and capacity building to the public relation division staff is important to support the division’s activity and Komnas HAM’s work.

Why did you decide to work in human rights?

In 1997 I decided to work in the human rights field because the human rights situation in Indonesia was very challenging; it was a post-Soeharto regime. Cooperation was key for fixing the situation so that it would be a more conducive environment for human rights protection.

What is your proudest achievement?

I am proud that in the current COVID-19 pandemic, Komnas HAM is still working and contributing to human rights promotion and protection.

Date: 25 March 2022