16-Year-Old Indigenous Peoples Without Legal Umbrella:
Threats & criminalization continue immediately #SahkanRUUMasyarakatAdat.
Jakarta, 20 January 2026 – For 16 years, the Indigenous Peoples Bill (RUU MA) has been debated without certainty of ratification. In the midst of the impasse in legislation, Indigenous Peoples face an increase in agrarian congestion, criminalization, and the dispossession of customary territories related to the expansion of extractive industries, large-scale plantations, and national development projects.
The absence of a comprehensive legal umbrella puts Indigenous Peoples in an increasingly vulnerable position. Existing sectoral regulations have proven to be unable to provide protection, restoration, and legal certainty for Indigenous Peoples’ rights, including rights to land, customary territories, and livelihoods. Development practices that ignore the principle of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) have also exacerbated situations such as the Sumatra disaster, triggering prolonged social conflicts, exclusion, and criminalization of Indigenous people and defenders in various regions. Not only the dispossession of indigenous territories, but various indigenous groups in the archipelago still experience violations of citizenship rights such as the right to practice religion and belief, as well as other basic rights.
According to AMAN’s 2025 Year-End Notes, there are 135 cases that have seized 3.8 million hectares of customary territory in 109 Indigenous communities and as many as 162 Indigenous people have become victims of violence and criminalization. Meanwhile, 7,348,747 hectares of Indigenous Territories are controlled by mining, plantation, and logging concessions.
“If the state really wants to resolve the chain of conflict and prosper the Indonesian nation, then the ratification of the Indigenous Peoples Bill is the answer. The absence of the Indigenous Peoples Bill not only causes human rights violations and agrarian injustices, but also exacerbates environmental damage and increases disaster risk,” said the Secretary General of AMAN, Rukka Sombolinggi. Forest destruction due to land conversion and exploitation of natural resources directly contributes to the increase in ecological disasters such as floods, landslides, and other environmental crises. In fact, Indigenous Peoples have a strategic role as actors in natural disaster mitigation.
“The Sumatra disaster opened the eyes of all of us, that the massive deforestation brought by various types of extractive industries has finally brought the worst and deadliest hydrometeorological disaster in Indonesia’s history. The destruction of customary forests in the upstream watersheds in the three provinces of Sumatra, and the very severe disasters that resulted, should make us all aware that if these forests are still managed and guarded by indigenous peoples, their carrying capacity will be maintained and major disasters can be avoided,” said Leonard Simanjuntak, Country Director of Greenpeace Indonesia.
Constitutionally, Article 18B paragraph (2) and Article 28I paragraph (3) of the 1945 Constitution affirm the state’s recognition and respect for the unity of Indigenous Peoples and their traditional rights. However, until now, the constitutional mandate has not been realized through a special law that guarantees comprehensive protection, including the recognition, protection and fulfillment of indigenous peoples’ rights to be free from ecological disasters.
“Violations of Indigenous Peoples’ basic rights, including the right to life, the rights of children and women, the right to water, land, livelihoods, and health, have been going on for a long time. The state’s obligation to bring truth and justice continues to be ignored. Human Rights Watch is currently preparing a report that identifies legal articles that are often used to intimidate, criminalize Indigenous Peoples, and pave the way for the dispossession of their land,” said Andreas Harsono, a researcher at Human Rights Watch.
In the midst of congestion and disasters, Indigenous Peoples still contribute to cultivating 4.9 million hectares of food diversity with food products in the form of sago, field rice, various types of tubers, fruits, vegetables, and various types of nuts. Various studies show that indigenous knowledge and practices in managing forests, land, and natural resources contribute significantly to reducing disaster risk. Indigenous peoples’ living practices also show their strategic role in disaster mitigation. For example, the Baduy Indigenous People in Lebak Regency,
Banten is known to have a knowledge and territorial governance system that maintains the natural balance of the mountains where they live. Through customary rules inherited from generation to generation, the Baduy Indigenous People limit land clearing, protect forest areas, and regulate settlement patterns that are in harmony with natural conditions.
“For this reason, we, the Coalition to Guard the Indigenous Peoples Bill, urge the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia to immediately form a Working Committee on the Indigenous Peoples Bill in the Baleg of the House of Representatives in February 2026. As well as conducting participatory and open discussions involving Indigenous Communities, Indigenous women and youth, academics and NGOs with a good track record,” said Veni Siregar, Coordinator of the Coalition to Guard the Supreme Court Bill and Senior Campaigner of Kaoem Telapak.
Hero Aprila, Chairman of the Nusantara Indigenous Youth Front also said that “the absence of the Indigenous Peoples Law has an impact on legal uncertainty. As Indigenous Youth, we need the Indigenous Peoples Law to ensure the right to identity, customary territories, and the sustainability of the future and future generations. We cannot rely only on partial recognition or sectoral policies that are unable to accommodate the rights of Indigenous Peoples, especially the indigenous youth. With that, I would like to emphasize that we are Indigenous Youth throughout the country.
Nusantara urges the government and the House of Representatives to immediately pass the Indigenous Peoples Bill right now,” he said.
Jaisa was also present to represent Baroque Indigenous Women, Massenrempulu South Sulawesi From PEREMPUAN AMAN added “that what indigenous peoples are currently experiencing in various places is that indigenous women who are affected by violence in layers, indigenous women are criminalized, and land grabbing loses management areas which has a great impact on the loss of Indigenous Women’s knowledge, not getting opportunities in decision-making spaces in various places, so it is necessary for the issue of Indigenous Women to be addressed, including the collective rights of Indigenous Women, so it is necessary to immediately ratify the Indigenous Peoples Law,” she said.
Tracy Pasaribu from KEMITRAAN reinforced the above statement, that the ratification of the Supreme Court Bill is urgent as a means of protection for the recognition of the role of indigenous women, especially the role of participation in development planning. So far, indigenous women have maintained the knowledge and survival of the nation’s next generation. However, the position of women in the decision-making process, especially in development planning meetings, is not recognized. This then results in development results that instead of answering the needs of the people, instead cause misery such as: damage to clean water sources, damage to food and medicine sources (forests and fields), lack of access to cheap and free education and health for people in remote areas. “Therefore, recognition and access to indigenous women’s participation in development and discussion of important issues brought by indigenous women must be strengthened,” said Tracy.
Rahma Mary from the YLBHI Knowledge Assembly Team, closed the press release firmly and straightforwardly said “The Indigenous Peoples Bill can no longer be delayed for ratification, because the delay means that more and more indigenous peoples are victims of the deprivation of their rights, especially the rights to customary territories and victims of greater ecological disasters”.
For information, the advocacy process for the Indigenous Peoples Bill that has been carried out by the Coalition to Guard the Indigenous Peoples Bill throughout 2025 has met with various factions in the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia and related Ministries and Institutions. From this series of meetings, three parties have officially become the proponents of the Indigenous Peoples Bill, namely the Nasdem Faction, the PKB Faction, and the PDIP Faction. The Indigenous Peoples Bill has also officially become the 2026 Priority Bill.
Contact Person:
- Sarah – 0821-1247-4343
- Ayut Enggeliah – 081234075917
Disclaimer: This article was written in Indonesia and has been translated by Google Translate. In case of dispute or discrepancy, the original language of the article should prevail.
