ILO trains 6,000 worker activists

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

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Govt urged to help RI sex workers
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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

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3,000 visitors in Batam for sex
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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

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91,000 elderly in need of care
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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

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Violence against women increases
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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