ILO trains 6,000 worker activists
JAKARTA: The UN International Labor Organization (ILO) has trained 6,000 worker activists, spread over several industrial areas in Indonesia.
The training was concentrated in the four provinces of Jakarta, Central Java, East Java and North Sumatra.
The training was held for activists to enable them to have a comprehensive understanding of the role of a labor organization in a company, legal rights of workers, negotiating, health and safety at work and more.
As for the final result, it was hoped that labor organizations could be more effective and able to handle more membership recruitment.
The training started in 1999 and ended this month. -- Antara
;JP;SPS; ANPAa..r.. Scene-Govt-RI-sex-workers Govt urged to help RI sex workers JP/4/4scene15
Govt urged to help RI sex workers
MEDAN, North Sumatra: About 1,500 young Indonesian women are now trapped in the sex business in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a report said.
"The women are in dire need of government help to free them from commercial sex syndicates in Arab countries," said Maya Manurung, a spokesperson for a non-governmental organization on women's issues.
The level of trade in women in a number of cities in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Middle East had reached serious levels, said Posman Tobing, chairman of House of Representatives Commission VII on health and population issues.
Maya said that the government, through its embassy in the UAE, ought to take the initiative to eradicate all types of immoral businesses.
Most of the women involved in commercial sex activity had been deceived with promises of well-paid work in factories or as house maids. In reality, they became trapped in the sex business.
She said the government should intensify its supervision of the operations of Indonesian labor recruitment agencies before they sent workers abroad. --JP
;JP;SPS; ANPAa..r.. Scene-visitors-Batam-sex 3,000 visitors in Batam for sex JP/4/4scene15
3,000 visitors in Batam for sex
BATAM, Riau: About 3,000 foreigners, mostly from Singapore, regularly visit Batam every month for sex.
"If each foreigner spent about Rp 500,000 (US$61) on sex workers, local commercial sex workers would receive hundreds of millions of rupiah," said tourism analyst Surya. He added that some workers charged only Rp 250,000.
In Singapore, a man would need to spend Rp 1 million to Rp 2 million for short-time sex.
Local authorities have raided commercial sex workers in Batam several times but the business keeps growing, while the population has reached 530,000. --JP
;JP;SPS; ANPAa..r.. Scene-eldery-need-care 91,000 elderly in need of care JP/4/4scene15
91,000 elderly in need of care
MAKASSAR, South Sulawesi: The number of neglected senior citizens in 26 district and cities in the province has reached 91,000.
Head of the Social Welfare and Community Care section of the province HM. Sewang Thamal said about 50 percent of them had been given shelter in nursing homes.
Most of their families were ashamed to send them to a nursing home.
Sewang said the budget for social welfare, including care of neglected senior citizens in the province this year, was Rp 28 billion (US$3.4 million).
Most of the senior citizens in South Sulawesi lived in Luwu district, with 14,440 people, followed by Jeneponto district, with 9,902 people. -- Antara
;JP;SPS; ANPAa..r.. Scene-violence-against-women Violence against women increases JP/4/4scene15
Violence against women increases
PADANG, South Sumatra: Violence against women in West Sumatra has increased by almost 50 percent in the last six months.
Last year, 47 cases were reported to the West Sumatra Police. This year, from January to June, the number of cases was already 33.
First Insp. Erlin Nurlaena, from the Special Care Unit (RPK) of West Sumatra Police, said that the increase was caused mostly by financial problems, as many husbands had lost their jobs during the economic crisis.
She therefore urged the provincial administration to allocate funds to Jati police hospital in Padang to provide treatment for women who had become victims of violence.
The hospital needed the funds because it could only afford to pay for its regular running costs and medical workers.
Touching on the legal issue and counseling for women victims of violence, Erlin said that so far the RPK had been cooperating with several non-government organizations concerned about women's issues, like LBH APIK and Nurani Perempuan. --Antara