In recent years the situation of refugees and asylum seekers has again become a major issue for Indonesia. At the end of February 2018, the public was overwhelmed by mass media coverage of the large number of refugees living on the streets in front of the Immigration Office in Jakarta. It is like a new phenomenon for society, many people come to empathize and make donations.
Their existence needs to be noticed by the government in particular and all parties in general. In fact, many of the difficulties experienced by refugees and asylum seekers in Indonesia, but the most felt is due to the issue of legal status and limitations in the language of communication. They can not access public services such as health care, education, work, and others.
History of refugees in Indonesia began in 1979, as many as 170.000 refugees by setting up camps in Galang Island, Kepulauan Riau. Nowadays, there are 6.191 asylum seekers and 8.279 refugees were registered cumulatively at UNHCR located in Jakarta, according to UNHCR, they are mostly from Afghanistan and Pakistan, and also from Myanmar, Iraq, Iran, Sri Lanka and other countries (UNHCR 2016). One-third of the total 14.470 are living independently without any assistance.
Despite the high volume of refugees entering its territory for transit, Indonesia has not yet ratified the 1951 Refugee Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees thus Indonesian Government does not have the legal obligations to take an active role in deciding the status of refugees or asylum seekers. This leads to a dilemma for both asylum seekers and refugees who are intentionally or unintentionally stranded in Indonesia, and the Indonesian Government itself.
Social Problems Faced Refugees and Asylum Seeker in Indonesia
Most refugees and asylum seekers are not able to move directly to a place of permanent resettlement due to the largely unplanned and unanticipated nature of the move and the sudden circumstances which precipitate the move.
For these reasons, the role of transit country in international migrations increases because this process can go on for a while and pass through certain locations whether it is planned or not, before they can reach their final destination. During the time, refugees and asylum seekers in Indonesia face a broad range and intersecting web of social problems.
Many refugees and asylum seekers may find that they live with limited privileges, rights, freedoms, and benefits, until they receive their refugee status from the host country. Some asylum seeker and refugees are especially vulnerable to be homelessness.
They live on the margins of society, fearful of arbitrary harassment, extortion, arrest and detention. They unable to work to fulfill their living needs and access the free health care if they have health problems, not many schools can accept them to learn because of language barrier and unqualified teachers.
Families with young children are at risk of living under the poverty line because they have no money-making work other than assistance from UNHCR or related institutions. Other highly vulnerable groups of asylum seekers and refugees are individuals suffering from torture and trauma; persons with disabilities or mental health problems; single women; and unaccompanied children.
Social Worker as a Humanitarian Profession
