ABSTRACT
Millions of refugees and asylum-seekers have been known to suffer from four major reactions of the locals to these “new minorities” in their residing places: prejudice, discrimination, political opposition, and violence. Restriction of employment is the primary discriminatory practice that stops the refugees and asylum-seekers to survive with dignity. This paper thus questions the reasons for such discriminatory practices around restrictions or limitations of employment opportunities for the refugees and asylum-seekers in Indonesia. After a research visit in Indonesia (Jakarta and Bogor) to the refugees and asylum-seekers as well as the NGOs, Academics, and Government Officials who have been working with them, the researchers collect some primary data (interviews, Focus Group Discussion, etc) that is mixed with publically published sources (Journals, Reports, News, etc) to answer this question. Rather similar to the concept of Deliberate Destitution offered by Nessel (2015) to explain the function of work restrictions to refugees and asylum-seekers both in Europe and the US as [failed] “deterrent”, the restrictions to work among refugees and asylum-seekers in Indonesia function as well as political gags to prevent exploded feelings of unfairness among the poor local communities. The anti-refugee discrimination in labor market, as the same thing found in Europe, further the marginalization of refugees and asylum-seekers during both the application and return phases. For this enlarged function of job restrictions to refugees and their negative impact, the challenges for the Indonesian authority to solve lack of livelihood opportunities for surviving refugees and asylum-seekers waiting for [unlikely] resettlement are growing exponentially.
