Those Invisible to the Law: Access to Justice for Indigenous Communities in Agrarian Conflicts in Merauke Regency
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65815/7c9dzq12Keywords:
access to justice, indigenous communities, agrarian conflict, legal aid, Merauke RegencyAbstract
Indigenous communities involved in agrarian conflicts often occupy vulnerable positions due to limited access to legal information, legal assistance, land documentation, and dispute-resolution institutions. Merauke Regency illustrates the complex interaction between indigenous communities, land control, economic development, and state policies. This study aims to identify barriers to access to justice experienced by indigenous communities in agrarian conflicts and to examine how legal institutions respond to their needs. A socio-legal approach is employed by combining analysis of the relevant legal framework with empirical research involving indigenous community members, legal advocates, local government representatives, and other stakeholders. Access to justice is understood not merely as the ability to bring a dispute before a court, but also as the capacity to understand legal rights, obtain assistance, participate meaningfully in dispute resolution, and secure effective remedies. The study argues that structural and administrative barriers may prevent formal legal recognition from producing substantive justice for indigenous communities. A more responsive framework therefore requires stronger community-based legal assistance, simplified procedures, recognition of customary territories, and meaningful participation in decisions affecting land and livelihoods. Such measures can help bridge the gap between formal recognition and practical enjoyment of indigenous rights.
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Law Number 5 of 1960 concerning Basic Agrarian Regulations (Undang-Undang Pokok Agraria).
Law Number 21 of 2001 concerning Special Autonomy for Papua, as subsequently amended.
Law Number 2 of 2012 concerning Land Acquisition for Development in the Public Interest.
Government Regulation Number 24 of 1997 concerning Land Registration.
Constitutional Court Decision Number 35/PUU-X/2012 concerning customary forests.
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, 2007.
ILO Convention No. 169 concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples, 1989.
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