The International Journal of Politics and Sociology Research

The dilemma between helping and perpetuating the problem: Kupang city's public perception of child beggars or vendors at traffic lights

Petrus Selestinus Mite — 2026-03-06

This study looks at the moral conundrum that drivers in Kupang, Indonesia, face every day when they come across street merchants and child beggars at traffic signals. There is a conflict between the want to help out out of sympathy and the worry that doing so could make the child's precarious condition worse. The study explores how people understand and navigate these fleeting street interactions using a qualitative technique and Symbolic Interactionism as its theoretical framework. It concludes that visual clues, such as the children's looks, gestures, and approaches to cars, significantly influence public perception and reaction. Giving is primarily motivated by sympathy, but this inclination is crucially moderated by the knowledge that financial support may unintentionally prolong homelessness, interfere with education, and raise vulnerability to exploitation. As a result, people learn sophisticated, practical ways to deal with this dilemma. These include giving under certain conditions, providing food or beverages rather than money, or purposefully refusing material assistance while still being courteous and compassionate. The survey also shows that the public holds family and political institutions accountable for systemic solutions, with a focus on protection, support, and regulation. The study advances theory by showing how Symbolic Interactionism clarifies a contemporary urban conundrum, emphasizing that the decision to assist or not is a socially formed process rather than just an individual moral calculation. Its originality is in describing the commonplace meaning-making and adaptive tactics that the public uses to jointly manage ethical ambiguity in shared urban areas, such as contributing without anticipating a material exchange or utilizing politeness as a non-monetary reaction.

Uzbekistan's strategic reliance on russia: The role of double landlock geography in shaping geopolitics

Muhammad Ridha Iswardhana — 2026-02-07

Uzbekistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia, is entirely surrounded by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, and Turkmenistan, and lacks direct access to the sea. This geographical disadvantage, combined with its historical ties to the Soviet Union, presents significant economic and geopolitical challenges. Uzbekistan’s landlocked status limits its ability to engage in international trade, creating a reliance on neighboring countries, particularly Russia, for access to maritime routes. This dependence not only increases transportation costs but also complicates Uzbekistan’s ability to fully integrate into global markets. As a result, Uzbekistan faces constraints in its economic development and must navigate complex political relationships with regional powers. This research adopts a qualitative, descriptive-explanatory methodology, incorporating geopolitics theory to analyze Uzbekistan's landlocked status. The findings highlight the significant consequences of being a landlocked country, emphasizing the political, economic, and diplomatic implications of Uzbekistan's dependence on Russia for port access and trade infrastructure.

The pretext of national strategic projects in the palm oil industry: A juridical analysis of massive deforestation and human rights violations in Papua

Anggia Abraham Parlindungan Nainggolan — 2026-01-10

The designation of palm oil plantation projects as National Strategic Projects (Proyek Strategis Nasional/PSN) presents serious challenges to environmental protection due to widespread deforestation and the fulfillment of human rights, particularly in Papua, a region characterized by fragile ecosystems and Indigenous communities. This study aims to analyze the role and responsibility of the state in ensuring the protection of environmental and human rights within palm oil plantation projects classified as PSN, and to assess the alignment of palm oil business practices in Papua with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), specifically the principles of duty to protect, responsibility to respect, and access to remedy. Employing a normative juridical method, the research adopts a statutory approach and a conceptual approach to examine Presidential Regulation No. 60 of 2023 on the National Strategy on Business and Human Rights, relevant PSN regulations, and the UNGP framework. The findings reveal that the state has not effectively fulfilled its role in safeguarding environmental and human rights in PSN-designated palm oil projects. Rather than serving as instruments of equitable development, PSNs have marginalized Indigenous communities and imposed environmental burdens upon them without meaningful participation in decision-making processes. Moreover, palm oil business practices in Papua remain inconsistent with the UNGPs, necessitating a critical re-evaluation of PSN implementation to ensure conformity with the principles of sustainable development and social justice.

Chemical castration as a penal instrument: An analysis of the Mojokerto district court decision from a human rights perspective

Atsyilla Salsabilla — 2026-01-10

Chemical castration was introduced into Indonesia’s criminal justice system as a legislative response to the increasing prevalence of sexual violence against children. This penal instrument is designed to deter offenders while safeguarding victims’ rights and welfare. One notable application of this sanction can be found in the Mojokerto District Court Decision No. 69/Pid.Sus/2019/PN.Mjk, where chemical castration was imposed as an additional punishment for the perpetrator of child sexual assault. Although grounded in positive law, the implementation of chemical castration raises profound debates within the human rights discourse, particularly regarding the prohibition of torture, the right to bodily integrity, and the protection of human dignity. This study aims to analyze chemical castration as a penal instrument through a normative legal approach, examining the Mojokerto District Court decision from a human rights perspective. Using a juridical-normative method that combines statutory and case approaches, this research finds that chemical castration generates significant tension between the objectives of punishment and the fundamental principles of human rights. Consequently, its application necessitates critical evaluation to ensure alignment with the rule of law, proportionality, and respect for human dignity.