Migrant workers return home to be hospitalized<\/p>\n
Leony Aurora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Yati lay quietly on her bed. She patiently obliged the wishes of
\na press photographer, by displaying her bruised back, her
\nbattered feet and her slightly swollen hands.<\/p>\n
She slowly opened her scarf to reveal her almost bald head;
\nonly tufts of hair remained.<\/p>\n
Every part of her body seemed to be testimony of the cruelty
\nof her former employer in Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n
Even the red spot between her eyes, which seemed to be little
\nmore than a pimple, was in fact inflicted upon her by her
\nemployer, who had hit her there with a high-heel shoe.<\/p>\n
\"She once said 'after I beat you up, my heart becomes calm',\"
\nsaid the 33-year-old migrant worker recently, quoting her former
\nemployer, from whom she had endured the 21-month-long torture.<\/p>\n
When she wanted to terminate her two-year contract, the woman
\nhad poured ceramic cleaner on Yati's feet. Yati begged her
\nemployer's husband to let her return home.<\/p>\n
She said, on her departure from Ryadh, she carried with her Rp
\n1.7 million (US$200) in cash and a 6,000 riyal (US$1,570) cheque,
\namounting to approximately 12-months salary. \"I had sent home my
\nfirst five-months salary,\" she said, but the rest had been spent
\nby her employer on the ticket home, some clothes and toys.<\/p>\n
Upon arrival at Terminal 3 in the Soekarno-Hatta International
\nAirport, Yati was taken directly to the Police Central Sukanto
\nHospital in Kramatjati, East Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Another worker being treated there was Musriah, 20, who had
\nworked for four months in Kuwait and spent another month in a
\nhospital there. She broke her back and ankle when she jumped from
\nthe third floor of her employer's house to escape.<\/p>\n
\"I just had to escape, I couldn't bear it anymore,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Musriah said she had received abuse from the one-and-a-half-
\nyear-old child she had looked after, who had constantly pulled
\nout her hair and scratched her face. Although she had often cried
\nout, her employer did nothing to alleviate the situation.<\/p>\n
After she begged to go home, her employer locked her up,
\nprompting her to jump from the third floor.<\/p>\n
These women's cases are just two of many that surfaced during
\nthe last few months. Poor treatment, not only violence, but also
\nthe denial of food and rest, have long been reported as
\nconditions endured by migrant workers.<\/p>\n
Wiwit, 24, bears the cost of months of poor nutrition and
\nlittle rest.<\/p>\n
During her nine months in Singapore, Wiwit had to work from 5
\na.m. through to midnight, cleaning a four-story house, washing
\nthe cars, and sweeping the garden, among other jobs.<\/p>\n
She ate two pieces of bread in the morning and half-cooked
\nrice, (because she only had 10 minutes to prepare her meals) and
\nvegetables for lunch and dinner.<\/p>\n
\"My employer beat me up when I worked slowly, my body became
\nweaker as I didn't eat or rest enough,\" Wiwit said.<\/p>\n
She took the job because she wanted to collect capital for her
\nhusband to build a garage. \"I was supposed to get Rp 1.5 million
\na month,\" she said. She came home with only S$15 (about $9) in
\nher pocket, as the rest went to her agent.<\/p>\n
Wiwit was treated at the psychiatric ward in the police
\nhospital for a mental breakdown.<\/p>\n
Seven ministers, including Coordinating Minister for People's
\nWelfare Yusuf Kalla, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda,
\nand Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Jacob Nuwa Wea, on
\nNov. 17 signed a joint decree to set up advocacy teams overseas
\nto help migrant workers.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Committee, however,
\nquestioned this measure, as a similar decree signed two years ago
\nhad prompted no meaningful changes.<\/p>\n
In 2001, 419 companies sending workers abroad were listed with
\nthe ministry of manpower. Approximately 500,000 Indonesians
\nworked overseas and $2.2 billion in foreign exchange was
\ncontributed by this sector last year.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/migrant-workers-return-home-to-be-hospitalized-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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