Ita Ba Paz, Timor-Leste

Project profile

Timor-Leste is a poor and fragile country that continues to suffer the consequences of years of colonial rule and conflict. A decades-long clash with Indonesia over independence and the 2006 internal conflict spread violence throughout the country, damaging vital infrastructure and displacing thousands of people.

Martial arts plays a huge role in Timor-leste and rivalry between groups can often erupt into communial violence and gang fights. There are 15-20 martial arts groups constituting over 100,000 members – a staggering 10% of the population. With such large numbers involved, fights between members pose a serious threat to stability and peace.

Ita Ba Paz gets to the heart of the conflict by working closely with those directly involved, and those on all sides of the conflict; youth, martial arts groups, police officers and gang leaders. With funding from Peace Direct, they bring together leaders from martial arts, political and religious groups, as well as academic institutions, to share views on the peace process and to learn from each other. They publish the results of these discussions and distribute them to martial arts groups and the general public.

Ita Ba Paz focuses on the Timor-Leste National Police, who play an active role in combating gang violence and other disputes. They ran training with 80 police officers from districts of the country that experience intense violent conflict. The training improves police officers’ skills in conflict prevention and management, ensuring crime rates go down, community safety increases and people’s confidence in the government could be restored.