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Refugees in Indonesia

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Refugees in Indonesia

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Statistics and Background

According to UNHCR, also known as The UN Refugee Agency, there are around 10,585 refugees dwelling in Indonesia that are officially registered by the organization as of July 2019. The majority of these migrants are from Afghanistan (56%), Somalia (10%), and Myanmar (5%).[1] Others are from countries such as Sudan, Iran, Iraq, China, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, and Yemen. [2][3]

Most commonly, these refugees are fleeing from their countries due to “war, persecution due to their beliefs, and violations of their human rights."[4]

Human Rights Issues

File:A Desperate Refugee in Kalideres.jpg
"Hazara asylum seeker Sharmila Attaie, 10, in a makeshift shelter outside the Kalideres immigration detention centre in Java. She lives on the street with her brother Farid and their family"[5]

Refugees in Indonesia do not generally see Indonesia as their final destination. Most of them are just temporarily staying in Indonesia and waiting to get their cases processed by the UNHCR. They await transition to countries like USA, Canada and Australia. When the refugees first arrive in Indonesia they seek asylum status, and then await the time-consuming process to reach refugee status through UNHCR.When they are undergoing this process they are not entitled to social security, and cannot either find jobs or start their own business. As a result, they are encountering other problems such as poor livelihood and financial crisis once their savings are all spent. Recently, countries like USA and Australia have changed their policies, which result in these refugees being stranded in Indonesia, waiting for an indefinite resettlement. [2]

Living Conditions

As the refugees are not permitted to work or initiate their own businesses they face many hardships and trials including "livelihood and financial difficulty, health, safety and security, lack of legal rights, mental health problems, boredom and education for their children" [6]

Kate Lamb, a journalist from The Guardian, reports that money is running short for these refugees settled in Kalideres due to the long period of waiting toe be resettled. With issues like unemployment and unstable shelters, these refugees along with their families are exposed to diseases and the lack of sanitation is contributing to this cause. With no place to turn to, about 400 refugees are currently settled in the building located in Kalideres as stated by the article. Numerous tents are set up as temporary shelters as they wait to be resettled.[7]

Government's Action

The President of Indonesia has already signed a petition called “The Presidential Regulation on the Handling of Refugees”, in 2016 claiming that needs and safety information might be under the government's task in the future. In addition, the Government seeks to collaborate with UNHCR to carry out rules and regulations in order to improve the protection of the refugees that are settling in Indonesia.[8]

Indonesian Laws and Regulations Concerning Immigration

"Indonesia is not a party to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees or its 1967 Protocol, nor does it have a national refugee status determination center."[9] Because of that, refugees in Indonesia are temporarily detained so that their cases could be processed by the UNHCR and that they could move to their intended destination. Generally speaking, the Indonesian government and authorities hold an "attitude of tolerance" towards these temporary settlers, but they do not, nor are they required to provide for them essential life services such as food, shelter, and health care.[2] Therefore, many refugees are suffering from problems resulting from such circumstances.[9]

References

  1. ^ "Figures at a glance - UNHCR Indonesia". UNHCR. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
  2. ^ a b c Briskman, Linda, Lucy Imogen Fiske and Muzafar Ali (2016). "Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Indonesia: Problems and Potentials". Cosmopolitan Civil Societies: An Interdisciplinary Journal. 8: 22–42 – via Research Gate. {{cite journal}}: line feed character in |title= at position 42 (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ Bhwana, Petir Garda (2019-07-16). "Asylum Seekers in Indonesia, UNHCR Pressured to Find Solution". Tempo. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
  4. ^ "Refugees - UNHCR Indonesia". UNHCR. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
  5. ^ Lamb, Kate; Doherty, Ben (2018-04-15). "On the streets with the desperate refugees who dream of being detained". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
  6. ^ Briskman, Linda, Lucy Imogen Fiske and Muzafar Ali (2016). "Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Indonesia: Problems and Potentials". Cosmopolitan Civil Societies: An Interdisciplinary Journal. 8: 22–42 – via Research Gate. {{cite journal}}: line feed character in |title= at position 42 (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ Lamb, Kate (2019-09-13). "'It's impossible to do anything': Indonesia's refugees in limbo as money runs out". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
  8. ^ "UNHCR in Indonesia - UNHCR Indonesia". UNHCR. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
  9. ^ a b "UNHCR in Indonesia - UNHCR Indonesia". UNHCR. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
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