Slaves or heroes?<\/p>\n
The latest disconcerting report from Singapore has it that
\nmaids-for-hire were made to sit in employment agency windows so
\nas to make it easier for potential employers to make their pick.<\/p>\n
This measure, which was no doubt intended to be practical, has
\ndrawn criticism from some Singaporeans, who said it recalled the
\npractice of prostitutes sitting in windows in the Netherlands or
\nRussia to attract customers.<\/p>\n
Indonesian women are among the 140,000 domestics working in
\nSingaporean households, and they are among the at least 500,000
\nIndonesians working overseas, who contribute some US$2.2 billion
\nin crucial foreign exchange to this country, according to last
\nyear's estimates.<\/p>\n
While this report from Singapore would seem to be the latest
\ninsult to our overseas workers -- mostly women working as maids
\nwho are \"not accorded even basic human dignity\", in the words of
\none Singaporean activist -- it merely reinforces the glaring fact
\nthat governments that send and receive migrants still have much
\nto do to ensure the welfare and protection of the workers, even
\nwhen it concerns citizens of neighboring countries.<\/p>\n
Based on reports from other countries where our nationals
\nwork, such as in the Middle East, conditions in Singapore are
\nbetter, since in the island-state justice is quick once the
\nauthorities learn that a worker has been abused. Nevertheless, a
\ndeath toll of 89 Indonesian women workers in Singapore since 1999
\nis no cause for comfort, and calls into question the
\nresponsibility of all those involved in the sending and
\nrecruiting of the workers.<\/p>\n
While Singaporeans convicted of abusing their workers are
\nblacklisted from ever again employing foreign domestic help, and
\nspecial programs are held to educate people employing foreigner
\nworkers for the first time, one must also question the sort of
\ntraining potential domestic workers receive in preparation for
\ntheir employment. Reports in the Singapore media have revealed
\nhow new maids are immediately taken from the airport to
\nemployers' homes, perhaps under the assumption that their
\ntraining in Indonesia is sufficient, even though some of the
\nwomen cannot speak a word of English.<\/p>\n
One cannot blame the workers for failing to seek all the
\nnecessary information and skills. Millions of other Indonesian
\nwomen would gladly seize the chance to follow in the footsteps of
\ntheir sisters to overseas employment, and the stories of those
\nwho returned from overseas with nothing to show, those who were
\nabused and those who died in suspicious circumstances are
\ndismissed as bad luck.<\/p>\n
In the absence of clear rules to ensure that workers
\nunderstand their rights and obligations, the women can only hang
\non to the hope that they, too, may one day be able to renovate
\ntheir homes and send money for their children's tuition. Working
\nabroad is seen as a sure way out of poverty, and one that is
\neasier than, for instance, domestic work in large cities here,
\nwhere one is likely to be abused anyway and the pay is less.<\/p>\n
Indonesia has been sending workers abroad for some 20 years;
\nyet it seems that we are content to simply enjoy the money that
\nthey send back. We are relieved that we do not need to think
\nabout creating jobs for hundreds of thousands of people, and fail
\nto ensure that they can work in dignity, return home safely and
\nenjoy the fruits of their labor.<\/p>\n
This has been clear from the constant stream of horror stories
\nsurrounding our workers, whether in the Middle East or elsewhere,
\ndespite years of hoarse campaigning by activists -- and a recent
\nsurvey that shows 35 percent of workers face extortion when they
\nreturn home. Neighboring Philippines at least makes efforts
\ntoward ensuring the welfare and safety of their migrant workers,
\nwhom their leaders have rightly described as national \"heroes and
\nheroines\".<\/p>\n
Among the latest joint efforts to protect our workers is a
\ncommitment by Indonesia and South Korea to cooperate on training
\nand providing legal protection for some 70,000 Indonesian
\n\"apprentices\" in that country. Also, Minister of Manpower and
\nTransmigration Jacob Nuwa Wea said a training center would be
\nopened on Batam island for Indonesians hoping to find employment
\nin Singapore.<\/p>\n
But without ensuring that legal action is taken against all
\nthose involved in the abuse of workers, relying solely on the
\nskills of workers to keep employers happy reminds one of the
\nsituation faced by victims of human traffickers.<\/p>\n
As governments in the region begin to recognize their mutual
\nneed for foreign labor on the one hand and foreign exchange on
\nthe other, hopefully it will not take more casualties to awaken
\nour leaders to their responsibilities.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/slaves-or-heroes-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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