Gresik Regent Brings Child Protection Model for Migrant Workers' Children to National Stage

Gresik Regent Fandi Akhmad Yani has received an award as an Inspirational Regional Leader in the Movement to Care for the Children of Indonesian Migrant Workers from the Minister for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers. The award was given for his efforts to build a protection model for the children of migrant workers from Gresik. The award was presented during a National Public Discussion entitled ‘Children of Indonesian Migrant Workers: Challenges, Protection, and the Future’ at the Ministry of P2MI office in Jakarta. On that occasion, Yani stressed that protecting the children of migrant workers is not enough by simply repatriating them to Indonesia. The government must also ensure these children have legal identity, access to education, health services, and opportunities to build a future. ‘Saving one child is the same as saving a generation. Children must not become victims of distance and migration,’ Yani said in a written statement on Monday (27/7/2026). Based on data held by the Gresik Regency Government, there are 8,348 migrant workers from Gresik spread across 10 sub-districts. Meanwhile, 1,520 migrant workers were recorded or integrated with the Manpower Office in the 2022-2025 period, with Malaysia being the main destination country for 70.9 percent of registered migrant workers from Gresik. According to Yani, geographical and cultural proximity, as well as family and community networks, make Malaysia the primary destination for migrant workers from Gresik. However, this data may not yet reflect the actual situation because there are still migrant workers who depart without official documents. Therefore, attention to migration issues should not only focus on the number of workers, job sectors, or remittances. Children born and raised in migrant worker families must also be part of the protection system. One of the most fundamental vulnerabilities is the issue of legal identity. Some children of migrant workers are born from complex family situations, including unregistered marriages or relationships without clear legal status. ‘When identity is absent, other rights also become distant. The right to education, the right to health, the right to security, and other basic rights,’ Yani added. The event was attended by Minister for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers Mukhtarudin, Deputy Minister for Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Veronika Tan, Chair of the Indonesian Child Protection Commission Aris Adi Leksono, Director General of Empowerment at KP2MI Muh. Fachri, President of IDN Global Nathalia Widjaja, Director of Protection of Indonesian Citizens at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Heni Hamidah, Indonesian Ambassador to Malaysia for the 2020-2025 period Dato’ Indera Hermono, and General Chair of the Indonesian Child Protection Agency Seto Mulyadi. The forum was also attended by rectors and representatives from several universities, headmasters of Malaysian Learning Studios, heads of district/city manpower offices, and heads of the Balai Pelayanan Pelindungan Pekerja Migran Indonesia online via Zoom.