Tragic Fate of Indonesian Migrant Workers

Jember, Indonesia (News Today) - The Indonesian Migrant Workers Union (SBMI)- East Java chapter, has reported that 18,641 Indonesians had become victim of human trafficking last year.

"Almost every day, our migrant workers have become victim of human traffickers due to the East Java provincial government`s weak monitoring," SBMI-East Java chapter`s Chairman Mohammad Cholily said here on Monday.

Speaking to reporters, he said East Java was noted as the biggest sender of migrant workers to other countries. With this condition, East Java was prone to become target of human trafficking syndicates, he said.

Quoting the report of the Indonesian Labor Placement and Protection Agency (BNP2TKI), he said the total number of last year`s migrant workers from East Java reached 37,899.

"The districts of origin of those migrant workers, among others, are Tulungagung, Malang, Kediri, Jember and Banyuwangi," he said.

More than 18 thousands of those workers became victim of human traffickers as a result of the workers` poor knowledge about overseas job placement procedures.

"Unfortunately, local workforce and transmigration authorities remain weak in monitoring and enforcing law against the (illegal) worker recruiting brokers," he said.

The victims of this human trafficking ring were usually equipped with fake documents so that the SBMI activists got difficulties in handling their cases, he said.

"From the 18,461 workers, victimized by human traffickers last year, only 300 had reported their cases to the SBMI-East Java chapter," he said.

In preventing the migrant workers from being exploited abroad, Cholily urged the government to take stern action against the naughty job recruiters in Indonesia.

Last week, a human trafficking case with five Balinese students as the victims had been disclosed to the public. Before their return to Bali on Monday, the girls were forced to work at an electric company in the Malaysian city of Penang since their arrival in April with low wages.

According to the Indonesian Embassy`s Labor Attache Agus Trianto, the students were indeed victims of human trafficking activities. They arrived in Malaysia last April under a working contract between their school and a local employment recruiting official, named Samuel. They were promised internship at five-star hotels.

Instead of being placed at the promised five-star hotels, they were brought to Penang from Kuala Lumpur to be employed at an electronic factory there, he said. In Malaysia more than a million Indonesians are working in such sectors as construction projects and plantations.

Source : kompas

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