Nuwa Wea hears horror stories of RI maids<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Kuwait has sent 99 Indonesian workers to prison, including seven
\nwomen who fell pregnant and gave birth in prison after having
\na relationship with their employers.<\/p>\n
Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Jacob Nuwa Wea who
\nalong with several legislators and representatives of recruitment
\nagencies was on an official visit to the Middle East, met the
\ndetainees when he made a visit to a prison under the jurisdiction
\nof the Sulaibia Kuwaiti Immigration Department, where the workers
\nare serving their prison sentence.<\/p>\n
Spokesman for the manpower ministry Hotma Panjaitan who
\naccompanied the minister, said that the workers asked the
\nminister to lobby the Kuwaiti authorities for their repatriation
\nsince they could no longer endure conditions in the prison,
\nespecially the way prison guards have mistreated them.<\/p>\n
The minister empathizes with the Indonesian workers but he
\ncannot do anything to help them as Indonesia has to comply with
\nthe law in Kuwait, he said.<\/p>\n
Hotma said that the Indonesian workers were frantic to meet
\nthe minister when they knew that Nuwa Wea was making a visit to
\nthe prison.<\/p>\n
He conceded that conditions in the prison were quite bad.<\/p>\n
\"Security at the prison is very tough. We were not allowed to
\nbring in any cameras, cellular phones and or tape recorders to
\nprevent any information leaks from the prison,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Hotma explained that the Indonesian prisoners, mostly women,
\nhave been jailed mostly for having affairs with their employers,
\na crime punishable with a prison sentence in the small but
\nprosperous country.<\/p>\n
Many workers who spoke to the minister complained of poor
\ntreatment by prison guards, but many others begged the minister
\nto release them and send them back home.<\/p>\n
\"A lot of workers reported that they had not been given bath
\nsoap, tooth brushes and toothpaste or other personal needs. They
\noften receive poor quality food,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Aidah of Kerawang, West Java, who along with her eight-month-
\nold son has been jailed for one year said she wanted to go home
\nso that she could give her son a normal life.<\/p>\n
She said she gave birth in prison and would tell her son to
\nkill his father when he grows up for refusing to take
\nresponsibility for the child.<\/p>\n
\"I will train my son to shoot his father,\" she said in a
\nemotional tone.<\/p>\n
She said she had an affair with her employer's son during the
\nfour years she worked there, but later was sent to jail after
\nbeing sentenced by an Islamic court.<\/p>\n
Ela Nurlila who was sent to prison after having a relationship
\nwith her male employer questioned the indictment even though she
\nwas already married to a Syrian driver.<\/p>\n
\"I was indicted after my employer knew I was married to the
\nSyrian driver,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Legislator Tjarda Mochtar called on the government to hire
\nlawyers to provide legal aid for Indonesian workers employed
\noverseas.<\/p>\n
\"It is irrational that workers are jailed for falling in love,
\nwhether with their employers or their fellow workers,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Hotma said that of the 99 jailed workers, almost 90 percent
\nwere women and seven were bringing up their children born in the
\nprison.<\/p>\n
Kuwaiti Ambassador to Indonesia Muhammad Fadel Khalaf was not
\navailable for comment on Wednesday.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/nuwa-wea-hears-horror-stories-of-ri-maids-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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