Journal of Adat Recht
Vol. 2 No. 2 (2025): JULY-JOAR

Conflict of Customary Law and Positive Law in Determining The Status of Children: Criminal Implications for Children's Rights and Legal Protection

Hadibah Zachra Wadjo (Universitas Pattimura)
Judy marria saimima (Universitas Pattimura)
Harly Clifford Jonas Salmon (Universitas Pattimura)



Article Info

Publish Date
23 Jul 2025

Abstract

  This study discusses the normative conflict between customary law and positive law in determining the status of children in Indonesia, with an emphasis on the juridical implications for the protection of children's rights. In the context of legal pluralism recognized by Article 18B paragraph (2) of the 1945 Constitution, customary law often rejects the recognition of children out of wedlock, children of serial marriages, and adopted children who do not conform to local kinship norms. This is contrary to the principles of non-discrimination and the best interests of children as stipulated in Law No. 35 of 2014 concerning Child Protection. The inconsistency of these norms not only has an administrative impact, but also raises the potential for criminal offenses, including child neglect due to not being officially recorded. This study uses a normative juridical approach with qualitative analysis methods on primary and secondary legal materials, including international conventions such as CRC. The results of the analysis show the urgency of legal harmonization through responsive derivative regulations, legal understanding by local actors, and the transformation of customary law values to be in line with the principles of child protection. Law No. 35 of 2014 is positioned as a transformational instrument to bridge the tension between local norms and national laws to ensure that children's rights are guaranteed comprehensively without discrimination

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Journal Info

Abbrev

JOAR

Publisher

Subject

Law, Crime, Criminology & Criminal Justice

Description

Journal of Adat Recht is a journal with the theme of Legal Science, with benefits and objectives for the development of Legal Science, by prioritising the originality, specificity and recency of articles in each issue. The purpose of the publication of this Journal is to provide space to publish ...