How does Indonesia compare to your home country on LGBTQ+ rights, democracy and women's rights?
LGBTQ+ rights
Democracy & press freedom
Women's rights
Rule of law
Prevention of child labour
LGBTQ+ rights
This is Indonesia's hardest dimension. Same-sex activity is not criminalised under national law — except in the province of Aceh, which applies Sharia and has publicly caned same-sex couples, and in parts of South Sumatra. But the picture has been tightening: the revised Criminal Code (passed 2022, in force from January 2026) bans sex outside marriage, and because same-sex marriage is impossible in Indonesia, that effectively criminalises gay relationships nationwide. Police raids on private gatherings, a 2025 legislative push to ban LGBTQ+ content online, and strong social and religious hostility all weigh on daily life. Indonesia is not covered by the ILGA Rainbow Europe index (Europe only), so this score is an approximation grounded in the Equaldex Equality Index and Indonesia's legal situation.
LGBTQ+ visitors travel to Indonesia, but discretion is genuinely advisable — most of all in Aceh. Public displays of affection between any couple are frowned upon; between same-sex couples they can draw hostility. Bali is the most relaxed and tourist-oriented part of the country, but the underlying law is the same.
Democracy & press freedom
Indonesia is the world's third-largest democracy and holds genuinely competitive elections, but the EIU rates it a "flawed democracy" (6.44, 2024) and civil-liberties scores have been slipping. Press freedom is the weaker half: Reporters Without Borders ranks Indonesia 127th of 180 (2025), a "difficult situation" — journalists covering corruption, protests or the situation in Papua face intimidation from police and military, and financially fragile newsrooms encourage self-censorship. Alongside this sit a lively civil society and a large, engaged online public.
Everyday travel is unaffected, but a few topics are sensitive — especially Papua and criticism of the security forces. Photographing protests or military sites is unwise. Follow local news for context rather than relying only on tourist channels.
Women's rights
A mixed, improving picture. Indonesian women reach parity with men in education — and now outnumber them in tertiary enrolment — and political representation is slowly rising. But economic participation lags, conservative social norms are strong, and a patchwork of local bylaws in some regions imposes dress codes and curfews on women. The national commission Komnas Perempuan documents high levels of gender-based violence and campaigns on it. (Fair Away's women's-rights scoring is under review in 2026; see the note in Sources.) Abortion is legal only for health risk or rape, up to 14 weeks.
Solo women travellers generally report Indonesia as friendly and manageable, with the usual big-city caution. Dressing modestly is respectful everywhere and expected in Aceh and at religious sites; a scarf is handy for mosques and temples.
Rule of law
Indonesia ranks 69th of 143 in the WJP Rule of Law Index (2024) — mid-table, held back by corruption, uneven enforcement and limits on checks and balances. For ordinary tourists the system is predictable, but two things matter a lot: petty bribery still surfaces in some encounters, and Indonesia enforces some of the world's harshest drug laws, including the death penalty for trafficking and long sentences for possession.
Take drug laws with total seriousness — penalties are severe and applied to foreigners. Keep copies of your passport and visa, and be aware that "on-the-spot fines" from officials may be informal. Travel insurance and a registered stay are sensible.
Prevention of child labour
The US Department of Labor rates Indonesia as making "moderate advancement" against the worst forms of child labour (2024), with new coordination bodies and police units — but also persistent gaps in enforcement and funding. Child labour remains documented in palm oil, tobacco, fishing and small-scale mining, and nickel was added to the US forced-labour list in 2024. It's not something tourists usually see, but it sits behind some of what's on sale.
You're unlikely to encounter this directly. Buying craft, food and goods from local makers and cooperatives — rather than cheap mass-produced items of unclear origin — keeps your money with working adults.
How to travel Indonesia in a way that supports your values
You've seen how Indonesia scores. Its warmth, landscapes and communities are real — and so are the concerns, especially on LGBTQ+ rights and press freedom. A lower score isn't a reason to stay home; it's a reason to travel deliberately, so your attention and money reach ordinary Indonesians rather than the parts of the system the scores are really about.
↑ Back to the scoresTravelling with LGBTQ+ rights in mind
Indonesia has a resilient, long-standing LGBTQ+ civil society working under real pressure — groups like GAYa Nusantara (founded 1987 in Surabaya, one of the oldest such groups in Asia), Suara Kita and Arus Pelangi. Equaldex keeps a directory of Indonesian LGBTQ+ organisations. Following and, where possible, supporting them puts your weight behind the people doing the work — far more useful than a rainbow logo on a hotel.
In a hostile legal climate, the risk of visible affection often falls harder on Indonesian partners than on foreign visitors. Taking your cue from local queer friends and hosts — rather than importing Western norms of visibility — is itself a way of keeping them safe.
Travelling with press freedom in mind
See the RSF World Press Freedom Index country profile (Indonesia 127th of 180). For the story beyond the tourist bubble, Tempo is Indonesia's best-known independent, investigative outlet (English edition available) and The Jakarta Post offers English-language reporting. Reading them before and during your trip is the easiest way to see the country the brochures leave out.
Put your money into local hands
Choose family-run homestays and warungs over international chains, and book local guides directly. Marketplaces like Withlocals (a B Corp) connect you with independent Indonesian hosts for food tours and experiences — money reaches the person guiding you. This matters most in heavily-touristed places like Bali, where a large share of spending can leak to outside operators.
Buy craft, textiles and food from local artisans and cooperatives rather than cheap imports of unclear origin. It keeps income with Indonesian working adults — the flip side of the child-labour concerns in the extractive supply chains.
Fair Away doesn't take a cut from any organisation or business listed here. These are starting points we can stand behind, not paid placements — and the list grows as travellers suggest more.
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☕ Buy me a double espressoSources & further reading
Equaldex Equality Index LGBTQ+ rights — Equaldex Equality Index 12/100 (÷10): a Legal Index of 12 and a Public Opinion Index of 11. One source is now used for every country on Fair Away, so this score is comparable with your home country's.
EIU Democracy Index 2024 Democracy — 6.44, "flawed democracy"
WEF Global Gender Gap Report 2025 Women's rights — Indonesia 0.692 (97th). Fair Away's women's-rights method is under review in 2026, so this figure may change
WJP Rule of Law Index 2024 Rule of law — Indonesia 69th of 143
US ILAB, Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor 2024 Prevention of child labour — "Moderate Advancement", the second of four tiers, out of 131 countries assessed. ILAB publishes tiers rather than scores, so we map the four tiers to four evenly spaced values (8.0 / 6.0 / 4.0 / 2.0) and mark them with a ~.
RSF World Press Freedom Index Press freedom — 127th of 180 (2025)
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