Protect our workers<\/p>\n
Once again, it has taken a tragic death to focus our attention
\non the fate which so many of our workers must endure to provide a
\ndecent livelihood for themselves and their families. Soleha Anam
\nKadiran, a domestic helper hailing from East Java, was reported
\nbeheaded by sword in a western region of Mecca in Saudi Arabia
\nrecently. An Islamic court had found her guilty of having killed
\na Saudi woman with an ax.<\/p>\n
While beheading by sword may sound to many of us like a
\nparticularly harsh form of capital punishment, it is the form of
\npunishment prescribed for the crime committed by the laws of the
\nland in which it occurred, and must be respected. Moreover, it
\ncan be argued that this particular form of implementing the death
\npenalty is no more harsh than, say, execution by hanging,
\nelectrocution or even lethal injection.<\/p>\n
In any case, more than the execution itself, it was the
\napparent initial lack of concern -- or perhaps it was a lack of
\ninformation or communication -- on the part of our own officials,
\nparticularly at the Indonesian Embassy in Riyadh, that shocked
\nthe nation into recognizing the lamentable conditions in which
\nmany of our workers overseas must endure. Soleha died in a
\nstrange land, apparently unattended by any of her friends or
\nrelatives, or even fellow compatriots. Indeed, were it not for a
\nlittle news item carried by a foreign wire agency, Indonesians at
\nhome might never have been aware of Soleha's tragic fate.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, Soleha's sacrifice has not been entirely in vain.
\nNow the specter of death by beheading hangs over another
\nIndonesian domestic worker in Saudi Arabia, Nasiroh binti
\nKarnudin, who is accused of having shot her employer in
\nSeptember, 1994. The labor recruiting company which sent her
\nthere has already confirmed the case and has promised to do its
\nbest to help her. Although the Indonesian Embassy in Riyadh has
\nyet to obtain full information regarding the case, at least the
\nindications are that better coordination is in place. The
\ngovernment's decision to send Air Force transport aircraft to
\npick up and repatriate around 9,000 illegal Indonesian workers
\nfrom Saudi Arabia is another indication that the authorities are
\ndoing their best to take care of Indonesian workers overseas.<\/p>\n
Certainly, this assumption of responsibility by Indonesian
\nauthorities and by the companies concerned deserve to be lauded.
\nStill, a good deal more must be done if the working and living
\nconditions of our migrant workers overseas are to see any real
\nimprovement. One of the main deficiencies so far seems to concern
\nlegal protection. Laws to protect the rights of workers, both
\nmigrant or domestic, exist in most host countries which receive
\nour workers. However, since legal systems differ, bilateral
\narrangements might still be the most effective way to achieve
\noptimal protection.<\/p>\n
Protection for workers, of course, is also provided by
\ninternational conventions such as those drawn up by the
\nInternational Labor Organization and by the United Nations in
\n1990. It would be wise for this country to seriously consider
\nbecoming a signatory to those conventions. The role which our
\nmigrant workers play to support this country's economy is well
\nenough recognized. As such, they certainly deserve to get the
\nbest possible protection we can provide.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/protect-our-workers-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}