Refugees in Indonesia

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]

A temporary refugee shelter in Kalideres, Indonesia

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]

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." [2]

A photo of several refugee kids at a shelter in Kalideres, Indonesia

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 to be resettled. With issues like unemployment and unstable shelters, these refugees along with their families are exposed to diseases caused by the lack of sanitation. With no place to turn to, about 400 refugees are currently settled in the building located in Kalideres as stated by the journalist. Numerous tents are set up as temporary shelters as they wait to be resettled.[5]

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.[6]

"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."[6] 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.[6]