Indonesia isn’t all perfect waves. “Visions.” Lance’s Right, Indonesia. Photo: Matt Clark
As surfers, when we think of Indonesia, we think of paradise. We think of lush, green islands surrounded by perfect reef breaks. We think of crystal clear water and deep blues barrels with not a drop out of place. We think of monkeys, fried rice, and motorbike rides. We think of boat rides and sunny skies.
At the worst, we might bemoan an incident of Bali Belly. We may gripe about the positively mind boggling jet lag one experiences flying home from Indo to the US. However, these issues pale in comparison to just the problems we deal with at home. All in all, Indonesia remains surfing’s idealized holy land.
Unfortunately, as visitors, we don’t always see beyond surface of the gorgeous landscape. Over the course of a few weeks, you can meet people, and maybe even make a few friends, but it’s difficult to peal back layers of the country’s various cultures. We may be able to experience some of the day to day problems of Indonesian life, but it would be silly to argue that we can experience the deeper problems in Indonesian society, like the treatment of the mentally disabled.
This week, Human Rights Watch released a 74-page report about the treatment of the mentally ill in Indonesia. The conclusion: Indonesia is hell for the mentally ill. Although banned in 1977 by the government, the practice of pasung still thrives in homes and mental institutions across the nation. Pasung is the shackling or confining of the mentally ill to a small, isolated space. HRW estimates that over 57,000 people currently residing in the country have been kept in pasung at some point of their life, and they estimate that there are currently 18,800 people shackled right now. Simply put, the practice is horrifying, with a majority of those entering into pasung experiencing further psychological distress and physical harm from the shackles.
Although the government has taken steps to ban pasung, the practice continues. The Indonesian government is so decentralized that implementation at a local level is incredibly slow. Without government support and enforcement, the practice remains the status quo.
HRW attributes this most likely to a lack of resources for families of the mentally ill. There are only 600 to 800 psychiatrists for the Indonesian population of 250 million people: 1 for about every 300,000-400,000 people. Plus, there are only 48 mental hospitals, with over half of these located in just 4 of the 34 Indonesian provinces. Unfortunately, most of the mental hospitals that do exist violate basic human rights as well. Most are severely overcrowded, and patients live in cramped, unsanitary, confined conditions where they are vulnerable to abuse.
Photo: Human Rights Watch.
Without adequate resources, many families feel the only way to deal with the mentally ill is to lock them up or send them to traditional healers. They feel this is the only way to prevent ill family members from hurting themselves or others. As Disability Rights Researcher Kiti Sharma explains, “People spend years locked up in chains, wooden stocks, or goat sheds because families don’t know what else to do and the government doesn’t do a good job of offering humane alternatives.” Without any viable alternatives, families feel there is no other way.
Human Rights Watch has asserted that to turn the situation around, the responsibility fall on the Indonesian government. The government needs to take several steps to eliminate the practice of pasung. The first of these steps is to begin inspecting and monitoring existing facilities and to take legal action against those that continue shackling. HRW also believes the government needs to give people with psychosocial disabilities more control over their own treatment and care. The next step is to ensure that Indonesians with disabilities are provided the same rights as those who do not. Finally, Indonesia needs to offer accessible, community-based support to provide services and consultation on a local level.
Sending thoughts for peace, healing, and progress in Indonesia. It’s a beautiful country with incredible people. I hope that with the release of the Human Rights Watch report, the law can be changed so that all Indonesians can enjoy their country as much as visiting surfers do.
Note: all statistics taken from the Human Rights Watch report which you can find here.
