Govt urged to stop sending maids abroad
Govt urged to stop sending maids abroad
JAKARTA (JP): Legislators urged the government yesterday to stop exporting maids to Saudi Arabia and elsewhere, a practice which has led to widespread physical and sexual abuse.
In a hearing with Minister of Manpower Abdul Latief, members of the House of Representatives (DPR) Commission VI on labor affairs said the women have no legal protection and that maid exports have tainted Indonesia's image.
House member Soenardjo from the ruling Golkar party said that some countries view maids as slaves and treat them accordingly.
"Maids live under the same roof with their employers and many of them are subject to physical and sexual harassment," said Soenardjo in the meeting led by legislator Erie Soekardja.
Legislators of the commission recently visited Saudi Arabia to obtain first-hand information about the situation of Indonesian women working in Saudi households as maids.
Commission member Ismu reported that thousands of maids to date have been raped by their Saudi employers and abandoned once the employers discover they're pregnant.
"It's tragic. The ministry should do something to safeguard the nation's good name," he said.
Thousands of unskilled Indonesians work in Saudi Arabia and Malaysia and the practice continues in spite of continuous public criticism. The government plans to phase out the practice of exporting unskilled workers and promises better legal protection for those who continue to work overseas.
"Thousands of Indonesian workers abroad, especially maids, have been mistreated by their employers and they do not report their problems to Indonesian officials there. The government has done little to help them," said legislator Iskandar Manji.
Iskandar suggested that the government establish a board to supervise labor exports and to assist Indonesian workers in trouble overseas.
Latief said the government had also considered creating such a supervisory board and said that he would discuss the proposal with President Soeharto.
He said that the problems facing Indonesian workers in Saudi Arabia and Malaysia need to be resolved through a "conceptual approach". He did not elaborate.
He said, however, that the Indonesian government has established a committee to discuss the issue with the Saudi and Malaysian government. (29)