Gresik Regent Yani Receives Inspirational Regional Head Award for Protecting Migrant Workers' Children

Gresik Regent Fandi Akhmad Yani received a certificate of appreciation from the Minister for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers, Mukhtarudin, as an Inspirational Regional Head in the Care Movement for the Children of Indonesian Migrant Workers. The award was presented at the ministry’s hall in Jakarta on Monday, 27 July 2026, in recognition of his dedication and efforts to provide rights and protection while securing the future of Indonesian migrant workers’ children. Regent Yani stated that protecting the children of migrant workers must not stop at repatriating them to their homeland. Beyond that, these children must be ensured identity, access to education, healthcare services, and the opportunity to grow and build a future.

During a public discussion on the same day, Regent Yani shared Gresik Regency’s experience in building a protection model for the children of migrant workers, especially those born to Gresik workers in Malaysia. ‘Saving one child is the same as saving a generation. Children must not become victims of distance and migration,’ he said. Data from the Gresik Regency Government shows there are 8,348 migrant workers from Gresik spread across ten sub-districts, with 1,520 workers recorded or integrated with the Manpower Office during the 2022–2025 period. Malaysia is the primary destination, chosen by 70.9 per cent of registered migrant workers from Gresik. The Regent noted that geographical and cultural proximity, along with family and community networks, make Malaysia the main destination, though the data likely does not reflect the true situation due to undocumented workers.

He stressed that attention to migration issues must not focus solely on worker numbers, employment 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,’ Regent Yani said. This vulnerability is compounded by limited access to education, with research by the Gresik government identifying 76 learning centres under the auspices of the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur accommodating over 2,300 children. While the Regent appreciated the embassy’s role in providing educational spaces, he noted that many centres lack an official curriculum or permanent teachers.

Gresik Regency has developed a three-phase protection model to address the impact of migration on children. The first phase involves tracing and updating data on migrant workers’ children and guaranteeing their legal identity, with coordination between the Gresik government and the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur to verify the children’s origins. This is followed by validation at the village level and engagement with families in Gresik to ensure readiness to receive and support the children upon their return. The second phase is the repatriation of the children to Gresik. ‘After we traced everything, the conclusion was that it is most appropriate to bring them home to Indonesia, to Gresik, so they can obtain their right to identity, proper education, and other rights,’ the Regent explained. The third phase guarantees basic services after the children arrive, including access to education, fulfilment of population documents, physical and mental healthcare, psychosocial support, social protection, and skills development, all delivered through cross-agency collaboration.

In one case, the Gresik government arranged educational access for an eight-year-old child of a migrant worker through the Sekolah Rakyat programme. The child is now in Gresik receiving support with a host family. This commitment has been realised through two waves of repatriation. On 8–9 February 2026, three children were brought home, followed by six more from Gresik and three from other regions on 9–10 July 2026. In total, nine children from Gresik have been facilitated to return. Regent Yani emphasised that repatriation is not the end of the protection process, but rather the beginning of ensuring these children have an identity and access to education.