Racial abuse against students and youth from Papua by a group of people in Surabaya, East Java. on Aug. 16 has triggered demonstrations in various cities, highlighting calls for a referendum, including in Manokwari and Jayapura. Some of the protests led to the burning of private and government facilities.

Addressing human rights conditions in Papua is urgent and fundamental. It is urgent as the issues relate to the existence and future of indigenous Papuans. Indonesia would face even more complexity if these issues remained neglected. They are fundamental as they relate to the dignity of people who are repeatedly subject to violence in Papua. Papuans have also become victims of poor health and education conditions in Papua and West Papua. This means the issue is also crucial to Indonesia’s future as a nation.

Repeated incidences of violence involving weapons and other human rights violations leads to the constant sense of being under threat among Papuans, while hardly any party responsible for such violations is being held accountable, leading to more people being killed and injured.

The last incident was the murder of 21 construction workers of a bridge in Bukit Kabo, Nduga regency last December, by a group of armed Papuans claiming to be from the Free Papua Movement (OPM). Personnel from the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the police were among casualties in the ensuing hunt for the perpetrators, while people fled from Nduga to surrounding areas. Reports say some 180 people died in the months after while seeking shelter. Last year, global human rights watchdog Amnesty International stated there were 95 extrajudicial killings since 2010 in Papua and West Papua.

Second is the sense of economic injustice. In its Papua Road Map a decade ago, researchers from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) confirmed that the development pattern in Papua had alienated locals from economic fields. Public services were chronically poor, especially in remote areas, particularly regarding health and education. These were most strongly reflected in last year’s reports of famine and malnutrition in Agats regency, where at least 72 people died and hundreds of others were hospitalized.

Poor education is reflected in the low human development indexes of Papua and West Papua compared to all other provinces. Statistics Indonesia (BPS) ranked the human development index (HDI) for Papua at 57.25 and West Papua at 61.73 compared to the national average of 69.55. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) revealed that 30 percent of Papuan students had not completed elementary and junior high education. Worse, in the hinterland, around 50 percent of elementary students and 73 percent of junior high students have dropped out.

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