A team of lecturers and students from the Faculty of Law, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FH UGM) carried out a Pengabdian Unggul community service program through legal education activities in the Indonesia–Timor Leste border region from Sep. 16 to 19.
The program, held in Lelogama Village, Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, focused on the theme “Formulation of Formal and Material Village Regulations.”
Two FH UGM lecturers served as resource persons: Dr. Andy Omara, who presented on “Formulating Good Village Regulations”, and Almonika Cindy Fatika Sari, who delivered a session on “Strategic Substance of Village Regulations in Border Areas.”
In addition to the two FH UGM lecturers, the program also featured Dr. Ferdinandus Ngau Lobo from the Faculty of Law at Universitas Katolik Widya Mandira (Unwira), who served as the moderator.
Discussions addressed various current issues as well as customary law practices in the community.
“It is important to recognize and formally acknowledge customary forests here. They should be officially registered so that they are not only recognized under customary law but also under national law,” said Almonika Cindy Fatika Sari in a release issued Wednesday (Sep. 24).
Beyond village regulations, the legal education in Lelogama Village also highlighted human rights issues.
Dr. Dani Krisnawati, a lecturer at FH UGM, presented on “Children’s Human Rights”, while Rudolfus Tallan, a lecturer at FH Unwira, discussed “Child Violence in the Perspective of Atoin Meto Customary Law.”
The session was moderated by Aat Rahmawati, a representative of Desamind and a volunteer teacher under the Pi Mengajar (Pijar) program of the CT ARSA Foundation.
The FH UGM team also extended its legal education activities to Napan Village, North Central Timor Regency.
Dean of FH UGM, Dr. Dahliana Hasan, emphasized that providing legal education for border communities reflects FH UGM’s strong commitment to community service in enhancing public legal literacy.
“This program is one of our flagship initiatives as part of the tri-dharma of higher education, delivering real and meaningful impact for society,” she said.
This community service initiative was carried out in collaboration with the Legal Consultation and Aid Center (PKBH) of FH UGM, Faculty of Law Unwira, Yayasan Desamind Indonesia Bercahaya (Desamind), with support from Sinarmas Mining.
Dr. Hartana, Director of Sinarmas Mining, expressed his company’s support for the implementation of this legal education program by UGM’s lecturers and students.
“This program reflects our contribution to society in expanding legal knowledge while also serving as part of our corporate social responsibility to the community,” he stated.
Contributor: PKBH FH UGM Team
Author: Leony
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Rajendra Arya
Photographs: FH UGM