Transgender Persons and Structural Barriers in Criminal Justice: A Comparative Study of India and Indonesia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15294/ulj.v12i1.49589Keywords:
criminal justice system , gender-neutral, structural barriers, transgender, wariaAbstract
This article critically examines the structural and legal barriers faced by transgender (TG) persons within the criminal justice systems of India and Indonesia. In India, despite progressive legal developments following the National Legal Services Authority v. Union of India (NALSA) judgement and the enactment of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, TG individuals continue to face several challenges. In Indonesia, these challenges are further intensified by the absence of a comprehensive legislation safeguarding transgender rights. The legal framework there is largely gender-binary and regional Sharia laws in Azeh actively criminalize gender expression. In both jurisdictions, police harassment, societal stigma, and institutional prejudice discourages reporting thereby reinforcing patterns of violence, marginalization, and exclusion.
Against this backdrop, this research employs a doctrinal and comparative legal methodology to examine the constitutional and statutory frameworks, and judicial decisions governing TG rights in both the countries. The analysis focuses on four key areas:legal recognition, enforcement, procedural safeguards, and data reporting-to enable a systematic comparison. It argues that, nothwithstanding India’s comparatively progressive recognition framework and Indonesia’s broader constitutional guarantees, neither legal system presently delivers effective access to justice. It critically highlights structural obstacles such as gender-binary penal laws, police violence, and data invisibility, and shows how these factors reinforce exclusion and underreporting. It concludes by emphasizing on the need for substantive legislative reform, stronger implementation mechanisms, and greater institutional accountability to secure meaningful criminal justice protection for TG persons in both the jurisdictions.
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