Age of Human Rights Journal (Oct 2023)
The Fulfilling Right to Education for Rohingya Refugee Children in Indonesia
Abstract
The results of data collection conducted by the United Nations for Refugee Affairs (UNHCR) revealed that out of a total of 1,001 Rohingya ethnic refugees from Myanmar scattered in several refugee camps in Aceh, Indonesia, there were 374 child refugees, of whom were children without pa the principle of universality of human rights states that all humans have the same rights without discrimination, including the granting of the right to education to children of asylum seekers in transit countries. Furthermore, for Rohingya refugees who are already in Indonesia, they are given humanitarian protection, including fulfilling the right to education for Rohingya refugee children, even though Indonesia is not yet a state party to the 1951 convention on refugee status and the 1967 protocol, and does not yet have a system for determining refugee status. The research results show, the Fulfilling Right to Education for Rohingya Refugee Children in Indonesia, based on Law no. 39 of 1999 concerning Human Rights which has standards from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, while for the protection of refugee children it is confirmed by Law No. 35 of 2014 concerning Child Protection which is the signing and ratification of Covention on the Right of the Child and Presidential Regulation No. 125 of 2016 concerning the Handling of Refugees from Abroad which specifically regulates refugees, ratifying the Convention on the Rights of the Child into Decisions President Number 26 of 1990, then Indonesia has directly agreed to the entire contents of the convention in all actions against children in Indonesia such as the state's obligation to protect children who are within its jurisdiction. The provisions of Government Regulation no. 78 of 2021 concerning Special Protection for Children, in Article 6. Indonesia Ministry of Education and Culture Circular Letter No. 752553/A.A4/HK/2019 concerning Fulfillment of the Right to Education for Children of Foreign Refugees, has opened the way for school-age children of foreign refugees to pursue formal education in educational institutions. The policy of the Indonesian government to fulfill the right to education for the children of overseas refugees should be appreciated. This is because Indonesia has not ratified the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees.
