Cianjur accelerates task force formation to prevent illegal migrant worker departures

The Cianjur Regency Government in West Java, together with the Ministry for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (KP2MI) and the Cianjur Resort Police, is accelerating the formation of a task force to prevent the illegal departure of migrant workers. Cianjur Regent Mohammad Wahyu Ferdian stated on Tuesday that the task force is being established to provide optimal protection for residents intending to work abroad, especially those who fall victim to fraud through non-procedural processes. The task force will undertake various efforts to reduce the number of migrant workers from Cianjur departing non-procedurally, including involving village officials in data collection, so that similar cases no longer befall residents of Cianjur Regency. “The local government, together with KP2MI and the Cianjur Police, has discussed the formation of a task force to strengthen protection for migrant workers from Cianjur, involving various levels of society down to the village level,” he said. Once the task force is formed, various activities including counselling and public education can be carried out, covering the necessary preparations for working abroad procedurally, ensuring no one departs illegally in the future. A migrant worker who experienced problems in Libya was finally repatriated to Cianjur and reunited with her family after 14 months of changing employers repeatedly, during which she suffered violence and unpaid wages. “Ai was repatriated thanks to assistance from the Ministry of P2MI, Cianjur Police, the West Java Provincial Office of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection, the Cianjur Manpower Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Indonesian Embassy in Libya, which located her whereabouts,” he said. Ai departed for Libya with the intention of paying off debts from her first child’s wedding expenses, but her hope of improving the family’s economic condition turned into suffering. “The repatriation process required special attention because the country where she worked is experiencing conflict, but thank God, with the cooperation of all parties, Ai was finally able to return and reunite with her family in Cianjur,” he said.