On a day when the world is once again discussing human rights, the reality on the ground reveals the starkest irony: forest farmers in West Java continue to be forced to endure increasingly brutal structural pressures. Those who have protected the forest for decades and supported their families from the same land are instead considered a nuisance by state policies that increasingly deviate from a sense of justice.
In many forest villages, conflict is no longer just a possibility; it has become a routine, deeply ingrained in the minds and bodies of farmers. They live with the threat of criminalization, surprise raids, and intimidation disguised as "area order." Every act of protest is viewed with suspicion, every critical voice considered a threat. Yet, their simple request is recognition as citizens entitled to their own living space.
This criminalization occurred in Mekarjaya Village, Arjasari District, Bandung Regency, where the Head of the Amanah Sejahtera KPS was reported by Perum Perhutani on suspicion of pine resin theft, even though the pine resin tapping activities carried out by the KPS were in the KHDPK area and the KPS had fulfilled the requirements to carry out tapping because it had been included in the RKPS and RKT which had been approved by the Social Forestry Center and the Forestry Service Branch of Region V.
In addition to Mekarjaya village, criminalization also occurred in Gambung village, Pasirjambu District, Bandung Regency, where forest farmers were reported by the Forestry Department with the same pattern, even though these Social Forestry Groups had tried to carry out all their obligations starting from preparing the RKPS and RKT to paying PNBP independently.
Behind the criminalization frame carried out by Perhutani and its ranks, the forest farmers who are members of the KPS have never lost their enthusiasm in caring for the forest, they continue to carry out planting for reforestation while exploring the economic potential within the forest area by continuing to maintain the balance of the ecosystem and strengthening its ecological role.
Ironically, all of this is happening while the government repeatedly talks about agrarian reform and social forestry. However, behind the scenes of conferences and performance reports, the reality on the ground is quite the opposite. Forest farmers are often placed at the weakest position in the policy chain, with no certainty of access, no protection, and no guarantee that their voices will be heard. Many programs operate merely as administrative procedures, not as tools for restoring justice.
We are witnessing increasingly massive conversions of forest areas, pressure on populations, and regulations that change without dialogue. When forests in West Java were turned into commodities that could be traded through bureaucratic channels, forest farmers were automatically the first to suffer. And every time they resisted, they were accused of opposing the state, when in reality, they were simply resisting being wiped out.
The recent disaster that befell our brothers and sisters in Sumatra also occurred due to the government's negligence in managing forests. We can see at a glance how forests can be cleared carelessly by greedy entrepreneurs without considering the impact. They are too busy seeking profits upstream while the communities downstream are affected. This can be called Structural Murder, where communities around forest areas are not given access to manage forests to meet their livelihoods, and companies are given access to destroy forest areas without considering the impact.
A similar disaster could occur in West Java if forest areas are still controlled by the elite through Perhutani, whose management results we have seen so far, where forest cover is decreasing along with the increase in critical land in West Java.
World Human Rights Day should be a reminder that the state must be present not as an oppressor, but as a protector. However, in reality, forest farmers in West Java often have to fight for the most basic rights: the right not to be intimidated, the right not to be treated as criminals, and the right to be respected as true guardians of their living space.
When it comes to human rights, the voices of forest farmers must be the loudest. Because in their hands, the forests remain standing. In their bodies, the consequences of erroneous policies are most deeply felt. They are not objects to be manipulated at will; they are citizens with rights, dignity, and a vital role in safeguarding West Java's ecological future.
Today, the world may celebrate human rights with grandiose speeches. But in West Java, forest farmers still wake up anxiously, wondering whether they will be allowed to cultivate their own land tomorrow or whether they will be considered violators of the land they have cared for for generations. If the state truly respects human rights, then that respect must begin with those closest to the forest, most familiar with nature, and most often marginalized by policy.
Bandung, December 10, 2025
Dedi Junaedi
Chairman of BPP AP2SI West Java
