Transwomen Gap for a Formal Work Attainment in Indonesia. A Part of the Sustainable Development Goals

Resumen o Introducción

A formal work attainment for transwomen tends to create another negative concern due to the employers' highlight to their sexuality not to their capacity. The paper elaborates how this gap occurs based on the methods of direct observation toward keypersons as well as literature and media study. It comes with an expectation that in long terms, the group might be employed for formal works as maintained for informal ones currently. The Indonesian Government's commitment to signing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) from 2015-2030 views their significant development platform in a purpose to create sustainable developing aspects for more prosperous societies and the country. It is translated into Presidential Act no. 59/2017 about The Implementation of Achievement towards Sustainable Development Goals with an emphasis of three principles, such as Acceleration, Funding, and Inclusion.

Inclusion in SDGs means leaving no one behind, ensuring that all the targets must meet the interests of all people of nations without any exceptions as stated by UNSTATS, and it covers vulnerable or marginalized groups, including LGBTI. 12 UN entities endorse the statement underlining the importance of LGBTI's participation for countries' development process. In contradict, the LGBTI in Indonesia have faced serious challenges, principally about their human rights. Transwomen are considered repressed for their right to be properly employed.

With the ratifications of some covenants regarding human and civil rights to the state laws in Indonesia, the country is supposed to initiate the process of eliminating any discrimination towards minorities, including transwomen, however, it is not a smooth running since most of society layers in Indonesia still are considering their existence immoral, therefore they think of numerous ways to "normalize" them based on their origin of sex when being born instead of respecting their confirmed rights. As a consequence, insurmountable discrimination practices heading to legal criminalization continuously emerge along with the absence of the government attention, including the right fulfilment of transwomen in terms of formal work attainment despite the state's approval to sign SDGs.