Governing Vulnerability: An Intersectional Analysis of Rohingya Refugee Protection in Indonesia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15575/jispo.v16i1.52743Keywords:
Intersectionality, refugee governance, Rohingya refugees, statelessness, vulnerabilityAbstract
Rohingya refugees in Indonesia experience vulnerabilities shaped not only by displacement and statelessness but also by gender, age, family circumstances, economic dependency, disability, and exposure to violence. Although Indonesia has established an administrative framework for refugee management, limited attention has been given to how these vulnerabilities intersect within policy and implementation. This study examines how Indonesia’s refugee-governance framework recognizes and responds to differentiated vulnerability from an intersectional perspective. Using a qualitative descriptive design, the study analyses official documents from Indonesian national and local authorities, international and humanitarian organizations, and relevant secondary literature. The findings show that Presidential Regulation No. 125 of 2016 provides important mechanisms for rescue, temporary accommodation, coordination, and assistance, but protection remains predominantly categorical rather than intersectional. Women, children, and other vulnerable groups receive specific recognition, yet overlapping legal, social, and economic conditions are not systematically addressed. Local implementation also varies according to institutional capacity and cooperation with international organizations. The study contributes by extending intersectional analysis to Indonesia’s refugee-governance context and shows that more differentiated assessment is needed to identify protection needs obscured by broad administrative categories.
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