Voice of Human Rights News Center

Tentang Kami

Voice of Human Rights News Center

Portrait of VHR

The Voice of Human Rights (VHR) News Centre (VHR) is the only alternative media in Indonesia that focuses on human rights issues and the human rights discourse. VHR was established on 16 June 1999 in the midst of reformasi which delivered freedom of press and expression. VHR's aim is to build a basic community throughout Indonesia and be a content provider of human rights education for rural communities. VHR's initial goal was to transform the human rights perspective in Indonesia, which is often biased, into one which is comprehensive and elementary.

VHR grew up as an alternative media center by expanding its community radio network and reforming its website as well as its broadcasting concept through online radio streaming. This new concept is more popular but at the same time more focused on human rights issues. One of VHR's achievements has been the improvement of our website in June 2007. VHR's new performance and concept will be our main tools to reach a broader community.

VHR targets to become the first media which is concerned with education efforts and human rights enforcement in Indonesia. We also intends to be the most complete human rights data base and be the main center for news and the human rights discourse by empowering community radio networks as our permanent contributors. Through our website, radio streaming and network broadcasting with community radio stations, VHR can reach all levels of society

VHR Journalism

VHR journalism is professional journalism as run by the professional mass media. The difference is that VHR trains local communities to become our main fleet of journalists. VHR facilitates stage wise journalism trainings in order to empower communities to become VHR journalists. VHR's main editorial team, at the same time, also continues to enhance its journalistic work as media pioneers on human rights.

The uniqueness of the VHR community based journalism lies in the fact that by involving local communities, VHR also empowers these communities to directly voice their social, political, economic and cultural concerns. In this way, communities are directly involved in dialogue and debate and can even exercise control over public policies on a local level.  This is one step forward in enforcing law and democracy in our country.

VHR's Achievements

Human Rights Education and Enforcement

Human rights education and enforcement have become the main themes of VHR's program which are directly implemented into the material that we produce. All our writings, be they news, features, column, articles, profiles, or photographic pieces, share the perspective of human rights. They also have educational content or deal with human rights enforcement. Civil society can access these through our website, online radio as well as our community radio programs in various regions.

Human Rights Website

The VHR website contains news and writings on data, issues, discourses and thinking related to human rights. These are designed neatly and easy to understand.  VHR headings are categorized clearly, designed for popular use. Our heading Bingkai (Feature) provides an in-depth analysis of particular issues. Other features are Kisah (Stories) and for those who want to catch up with the latest news we have Berita Terkini (Latest News).  

Among other interesting headings are Curhat (From the Heart), an interactive heading managed by actress turned activist Rieke Dyah Pitaloka who was also its initiator. There is Potret (Portrait) publishing photographic journalism, photo art, VHR cartoons, Tokoh (Figures) and the heading Inspirasi (Inspiration) for well-known authors, as well as Artikel (Article) for young thinkers. Let's not forget the heading Cakrawala which contains cover stories about art and the life styles of the people.

Broadcasting Network

As a content provider for community radio stations in other regions (as of May 2007, VHR had around 350 community radio partners), VHR operates live radio streaming and has developed a broadcasting network. These contain media advocacy and offer solutions for local problems, as well as ways to exchange information and programs among community radio stations.

Community radio stations and internet users can directly enjoy VHR's internet streaming or joint broadcasting with VHR partners. VHR can also relay community radio programs. The network broadcasts over the internet provide free-calling facilities for listeners using CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) connections.

VHR's Network

VHR's partners and network are not limited to those 350 community radio stations throughout Indonesia (which will continue to develop in the future), but also consist of non profit organizations which focus on education and human rights enforcement in Indonesia and abroad.

VHR's network reaches both rural and urban communities who can directly enjoy our programs from community radio stations and the VHR website. In order to further expand our network, VHR has also established cooperation with the publishing world, to be able to publish books on human rights issues.

The expansion of our network will continue to be developed in the future, in line with VHR's other achievements and progress.