Human Enslavement: Indonesians' Encounter During Dutch Colonization

Abstract

This qualitative paper aims to explore slavery and genocide in Indonesia during the Netherlands colonial times from the standpoints of life and human dignity. The slave labour scheme (Rodi) was a violent slave labour system established by the Dutch against local indigenous Indonesians, leading to the deaths of vast numbers of the indigenous population (Pribumi) because of slavery and the Forced Cultivation strategy, all for the benefit of the Dutch economy. A further tactic would be to forcefully transport indigenous Indonesians from one area to another and then from Indonesia to overseas countries, including Suriname, as enslaved people for the Dutch. Many Indonesians died needlessly during such a period. Second, they forced Indonesian natives to work for the Dutch economy, inspired by Meillassoux's concept of slavery as a trading relationship. Third, they forcibly removed Indonesians from the community where they had grown up. As per this article, practiced slavery during the Dutch colonial era resulted in the loss of identity for many Indonesians and the perpetuation of rampant corruption. More research into Dutch slavery, the slave trade, and broader coercive labour and colonial regimes in Indonesia is required to elucidate the interplay and links of domestic and international structures.