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Legal protection and gender justice in post-divorce child custody in Aceh

GENDER EQUALITY: International Journal of Child and Gender Studies · Vol. 12 No. 2 (2026) · pp. 237–255

DOI
10.22373/equality.v12i2.35010
ISSN
2548-1959, 2461-1468
Published
2026-10-01
Publisher
UIN Ar-Raniry Banda Aceh
Language
eng
License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

Abstract

The paper discusses the legal protection and gender justice in the case of child custody after divorce in Aceh, Indonesia. In this study, a qualitative socio-legal approach was employed to explore the causes and consequences of custody disputes, legal protection practices, judicial considerations, gender dynamics and institutional responses. The data were collected using in-depth interviews and document analysis. The participants were 12 people in Banda Aceh, Aceh Besar and Pidie, consisting of divorced parents, judges, lawyers, mediators and advocates of child protection. The data were analyzed by thematic analysis. Findings revealed that economic hardship, domestic conflict and breakdown of communication were the major reasons for divorce and subsequent custody problems. The long-term parental conflict was found to be detrimental to the psychological and emotional health of children resulting in emotional insecurity, behavioral instability and loyalty conflicts between parents. Courts often took into account the best interest of the child, but post-divorce parenting arrangements often fell prey to patriarchal norms, with mothers usually regarded as the primary caregivers and fathers as the financial providers. Enforcement of child support obligations and other legal protection mechanisms remained inconsistent, particularly regarding meeting children's educational, health and psychosocial needs. The focus was on mediation, institutional co-operation and reducing parental conflict and strengthening child-centred protection. This study concludes that the post-divorce situation in Aceh in terms of child protection and gender justice needs gender-sensitive legal approaches, better implementation of parental responsibilities, available psychosocial support, and coordinated institutional collaboration.

Keywords

Collaboration network of the authors

40 authors · 142 co-authorship links · 4 across different organisations · showing the 40 most connected

Hover or tap a name to highlight its co-authors. Double-click to open the author's page.

  • Universitas Halu Oleo
  • State University of Semarang
  • Affiliation unknown
  • Different organisations
  • Same organisation
  • Affiliation unknown
  • Thicker line = more joint articles · bigger circle = more articles
Show as table
Co-authorOrganisationJoint articles
Rispalman RispalmanAffiliation unknown3
Hasnia AramiAffiliation unknown2
Irdam RianiUniversitas Halu Oleo2
Sukmawati AbdullahAffiliation unknown2
Bunyamin BunyaminState University of Semarang2
Muslim TadjuddahAffiliation unknown1
Agusno AgusnoAffiliation unknown1
Roslindah Daeng SiangUniversitas Halu Oleo1
Nurhuda AnnaastasiaUniversitas Halu Oleo1
La RiandaAffiliation unknown1
St. Aida Adha TaridalaAffiliation unknown1
Sarini YusufUniversitas Halu Oleo1
Milyani WabulaAffiliation unknown1
Abdul Muis BalubiAffiliation unknown1
Munirwan ZaniUniversitas Halu Oleo1
Yani TaufikAffiliation unknown1
Hartina BatoaAffiliation unknown1
Awaluddin HamzahUniversitas Halu Oleo1
Darsilan DimaAffiliation unknown1
Rahayu Endah PurwantiAffiliation unknown1
Yoenita JayadisastraAffiliation unknown1
Mustarum MusaruddinUniversitas Halu Oleo1
Muhammad Ihsan SaritaUniversitas Halu Oleo1
Gamal Abdel NasserUniversitas Halu Oleo1
L. DaudAffiliation unknown1
Agustinus LolokAffiliation unknown1
Samuel JieAffiliation unknown1
Abdul DjoharAffiliation unknown1
Agus AgusAffiliation unknown1
Erwin Mansyur Ugu SarakaAffiliation unknown1
Akin DuliAffiliation unknown1
SupriadiAffiliation unknown1
Muhammad HasyimAffiliation unknown1
Wa Ode PilianaUniversitas Halu Oleo1
Laode Muhamad Hazairin NadiaAffiliation unknown1
La Ode Abdul Rajab NadiaAffiliation unknown1

Affiliations come from OpenAlex; journal OAI-PMH metadata carries none. Authors without an OpenAlex ID are matched by name, which can merge or split people.

Metadata source: OAI-PMH (metadata jurnal) https://jurnal.ar-raniry.ac.id/index.php/equality/oai, first harvested 7 Nov 2026, last seen 7 Nov 2026.
Original metadata (oai_dc) 
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	<dc:title xml:lang="en">Legal protection and gender justice in post-divorce child custody in Aceh</dc:title>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Khairani, Khairani</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Lestari, Chadijah Rizki</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Rosmawati, Rosmawati</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Faradiz, Naqia Annissa</dc:creator>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Child Custody</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Legal Protection</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Gender Justice</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Socio-Legal Approach</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Aceh</dc:subject>
	<dc:description xml:lang="en">The paper discusses the legal protection and gender justice in the case of child custody after divorce in Aceh, Indonesia. In this study, a qualitative socio-legal approach was employed to explore the causes and consequences of custody disputes, legal protection practices, judicial considerations, gender dynamics and institutional responses. The data were collected using in-depth interviews and document analysis. The participants were 12 people in Banda Aceh, Aceh Besar and Pidie, consisting of divorced parents, judges, lawyers, mediators and advocates of child protection. The data were analyzed by thematic analysis. Findings revealed that economic hardship, domestic conflict and breakdown of communication were the major reasons for divorce and subsequent custody problems. The long-term parental conflict was found to be detrimental to the psychological and emotional health of children resulting in emotional insecurity, behavioral instability and loyalty conflicts between parents. Courts often took into account the best interest of the child, but post-divorce parenting arrangements often fell prey to patriarchal norms, with mothers usually regarded as the primary caregivers and fathers as the financial providers. Enforcement of child support obligations and other legal protection mechanisms remained inconsistent, particularly regarding meeting children's educational, health and psychosocial needs. The focus was on mediation, institutional co-operation and reducing parental conflict and strengthening child-centred protection. This study concludes that the post-divorce situation in Aceh in terms of child protection and gender justice needs gender-sensitive legal approaches, better implementation of parental responsibilities, available psychosocial support, and coordinated institutional collaboration.</dc:description>
	<dc:publisher xml:lang="en">UIN Ar-Raniry Banda Aceh</dc:publisher>
	<dc:date>2026-10-01</dc:date>
	<dc:type>info:eu-repo/semantics/article</dc:type>
	<dc:type>info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion</dc:type>
	<dc:type xml:lang="en">Peer-reviewed Article</dc:type>
	<dc:format>application/pdf</dc:format>
	<dc:identifier>https://jurnal.ar-raniry.ac.id/index.php/equality/article/view/35010</dc:identifier>
	<dc:identifier>10.22373/equality.v12i2.35010</dc:identifier>
	<dc:source xml:lang="en">GENDER EQUALITY: International Journal of Child and Gender Studies; Vol. 12 No. 2 (2026); 237-255</dc:source>
	<dc:source xml:lang="id">INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CHILD AND GENDER STUDIES; Vol 12 No 2 (2026); 237-255</dc:source>
	<dc:source>2548-1959</dc:source>
	<dc:source>2461-1468</dc:source>
	<dc:source>10.22373/equality.v12i2</dc:source>
	<dc:language>eng</dc:language>
	<dc:relation>https://jurnal.ar-raniry.ac.id/index.php/equality/article/view/35010/13511</dc:relation>
	<dc:rights xml:lang="en">Copyright (c) 2026 Khairani Khairani, Chadijah Rizki Lestari, Rosmawati Rosmawati, Naqia Annissa Faradiz</dc:rights>
	<dc:rights xml:lang="en">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0</dc:rights>
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