105 confined female workers escape from labor supply firm

JAKARTA (JP): One hundred and five female workers revealed yesterday that they were tortured and raped while being locked up for between six and eight months by a manpower placement company at its shelter in Cilincing, North Jakarta.

The women, scheduled to be shipped to Malaysia, managed to escape from the shelter Tuesday night with help from a neighborhood chief and Konsorsium Pembela Buruh Migran Indonesia (Consortium of the Defenders of Indonesian Migrant Workers), or Kopbumi.

After staying a night at actress Ratna Sarumpaet' house in Tebet, South Jakarta, the workers visited the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute yesterday to disclose their ordeal.

"Some of the women were reportedly raped and sexually harassed by the shelter's chief, identified as Cecep," Surya Chandra, a lawyer from the institute who is representing the workers, told reporters.

He said he has a reliable witness, one of the company's security guards, who is willing to testify about the rape and sexual harassment.

According to the workers, about 170 female workers were confined at the building on Jl. Kosambi by PT Megah Buana, which is owned by the deputy secretary-general of the Indonesia Manpower Suppliers Association (APJATI) M. Idrus Laeni.

The remaining 65 are reportedly still in the shelter.

The women, mostly from Java and Lampung, were beaten by the company's employees if caught trying to escape, Surya said.

Those who wanted to cancel their contracts were required to pay the company Rp 1.6 million (US$95), he added.

The workers said the company faked their identities in the passports by changing their married status and age.

"In the passports, we're all described as widows although most of us here are married women," said one of the victims.

The women recalled that they were all required to sleep on the floor of the shelter and were given inadequate meals twice a day.

The meals consisted of usually only rice. Occasionally the women were given noodles.

Most of the women are reportedly suffering from malnutrition after undergoing medical checkups yesterday.

During their incarceration none of the women were allowed to receive visitors, they said.

The female workers are now demanding the company return them to their respective hometowns.

Apology

The company's lawyer, Sangap Sidauruk, who also attended the meeting with the media at the Jakarta Legal Institute yesterday, apologized on behalf of Megah Buana management to the workers "for the conditions".

The firm, he said, would cooperate in any investigation into the rape and sexual harassment allegedly committed by its employees.

"We will not hesitate to hand over our employees to the police if they are guilty of the offenses," Sangap said.

The company also promised to immediately return the workers to their hometowns at the company's expense, he said.

Kopbumi, an organization founded by several human rights associations, also demanded the government and APJATI take stern action against the firm and other companies and labor brokers which have abused workers' rights.

APJATI's deputy chairman Abdullah Umar said his organization would give a stern warning to the company, vowing that it would improve the supervision of its members.

"We cannot sanction the company or revoke its permit. That depends on the Ministry of Manpower," Umar said.

He gave no reason for the absence of the company's owner, who is an association executive.

Umar said few workers had departed in the last six months because of the decreasing overseas demand for Indonesian labor. (jun)