Legal protection for the slaves

Legal protection for the slaves

Minister of Manpower Bomer Pasaribu's statement (The Jakarta
Post, March 7, 2000) that "...the government faced difficulties
protecting Indonesians employed in predominantly Muslim countries
because they were treated not as workers but as members of their
employers' families" left me speechless. This must surely sound
like mockery to those workers who have experienced mistreatment
by their Arabic employers, including sexual harassment, rape,
assault and battery, and being unpaid for months.

It is probably more appropriate to replace the word "members"
by the word "slaves", following the statement of President
Abdurrahman Wahid (Indonesian Observer, March 3, 2000) that
"...the Saudi people still believe in the old Islamic teaching --
a belief in slavery. So, a woman who works for them is considered
a slave". This explains the weak position especially of female
workers if they become involved in lawsuits. Being "slaves" they
seem not to be entitled to adequate legal protection and
assistance as can be seen by the fact that Indonesian embassies
or consulates are either informed too late or not at all about
trials of Indonesian workers.

I recall, for example, the tragedy of Soleha Anam Kadiran who
was charged with murder. In that case, the Indonesian Embassy was
only informed after the poor girl had been beheaded in October
1997. The verdict must still be questioned because one can assume
that she did not have a fair trial.

In another case, 24 year old Nasiroh, sentenced to death for
killing her employer after he tried to rape her, would have met
the same fate as Soleha, had it not been for the public outcry
and massive protests in Indonesia.

It can only be hoped that public pressure and diplomatic
efforts will save Kartini bin Karim from being stoned to death
for the "crime" of giving birth to a baby out of wedlock. The
cruel verdict against her is less understandable, as the man who
is responsible for her pregnancy was acquitted in absentia by the
Emirate's court.

Beyond the tragic case of Kartini the question must be raised
how mistreatment and injustice can be avoided in future. If not,
more and more female Indonesian workers will become victims of
"master" employers.

The Minister for Women's Empowerment Khofifa said: "Some Arabs
still think the (Indonesian) workers are their slaves. They feel
they can buy them and do anything they want to them." She
lamented at the same time that some Arabian countries don't want
to sign a memorandum of understanding which states that
Indonesian women workers are employees and not slaves.

In view of these facts the Indonesian government must face the
question whether it can with good conscience continue to send
Indonesian women into slavery.

MRS. HILDE MAY

Jakarta