KP2MI Monitors Indonesian Migrant Workers Affected by Middle East Conflict
The government also ensures readiness of facilitation for migrant workers who choose or need to return to Indonesia in accordance with applicable mechanisms.
Tangerang (ANTARA) – The Ministry of Protection for Indonesian Migrant Workers (KP2MI) is monitoring the security conditions of Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) affected by the escalation of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East region involving the United States, Israel and Iran.
Deputy Minister for Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (Wamen P2MI) Christina Aryani in Tangerang, on Thursday, said that maximal supervisory measures are being implemented to ensure protection and services for Indonesian migrant workers in the Middle East are operating optimally.
‘So at the Directorate General of Protection we have held intensive meetings with our representatives in several Middle Eastern countries that are likely affected. We have also opened a hotline and established a crisis centre to mitigate and receive information if an emergency occurs,’ she said.
She added that her ministry continues to monitor developments intensively through coordination with Indonesian representatives in the affected countries.
‘So far there have been no complaints from the Directorate of Protection about PMI impacts, and there have been no reports either,’ she said.
Christina stated that regarding Indonesian migrant workers who are officially and unofficially employed around the Tehran area in Iran there are about 200 people.
The agency is now trying to form a Crisis Monitoring Team at the Directorate General of Protection for daily monitoring and risk mitigation, updating migrant worker data as part of evacuation preparedness, drafting and disseminating guidelines for awareness, and activating a dedicated hotline for the Middle East region.
‘In Iran it is not a placement country, but it is possible that some have entered there; for example, it is very possible where they came from before moving there. If Indonesian citizens there include those working at the embassy in Tehran, their number does not reach 200. But they are not migrant workers registered in our system,’ she said.
In this regard, she continued, the government also ensures the readiness of facilitation for migrant workers who choose or need to return to Indonesia in accordance with applicable mechanisms.
In addition, KP2MI is preparing psychological support services, including online consultations for migrant workers needing support due to the evolving situation.
‘T But this does not mean that our expectation is that things will continue like this; what matters is that the government is prepared if anything happens and how evacuation will be conducted has certainly been considered. This is not the first time; Indonesia has evacuated several times during conflicts and other incidents,’ she said.