'Migrant workers deserve equal rights'

'Migrant workers deserve equal rights'

The violent treatment of Indonesian migrant workers is an old
story. Yet, the story is ongoing as the government is yet to take
firm steps toward their protection. The Jakarta Post talked with
some people in response to the issue.

Andre, not his real name, 36, used to work in Saudi Arabia.
Now he is a sidewalk vendor in South Jakarta:

Compared to other migrant workers I was very lucky. I was
recruited by an honest Arabian employer nine years ago and became
the manager of his Indonesian restaurant. However, I decided to
leave the job and returned home this year for personal reasons.

Many migrant workers suffer from sexual abuse and violence.
Most employers there think they can do anything to the workers
because they pay their salaries. But the employers are not just
Arabians, they are also immigrants from, among others, Pakistan,
Egypt and Afghanistan.

Maybe, such harsh treatment is also related to the fact that
many Indonesian women, particularly from Cianjur and Indramayu in
West Java, are recruited to be sex workers there.

We migrant workers can't hope the Indonesian government will
protect us. Even the embassy staff don't care about our fates
because they collude with the employers and local police.

The recruitment agencies are evil and must be closed down. I
hope someday we will have reliable people to channel migrant
workers properly.

Lyla, 29, is employed at a company in South Jakarta. She lives
in Cakung, East Jakarta, with her family:

I wish President Megawati (Soekarnoputri) would protect the
migrant workers as Philippines president (Gloria Macapagal
Arroyo) has done. The President should respect and protect all
workers.

Also, the government should be concerned over the violent
treatment of Indonesian workers overseas, instead of focusing so
much on terrorist suspects. It's stupid!

I'm afraid our government turns a blind eye on the problems of
migrant workers in the Middle East because they are afraid of
losing income from the haj pilgrimage.

Parno, 39, is a driver with a company on Jl. Jend. Sudirman,
South Jakarta. He lives in Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta:

I have nothing else to say but that I am truly sorry for the
suffering of our migrant workers, as exposed by the media. They
work hard to earn money for their families, but many of them
return home with painful experiences.

I can't imagine how the employers there can escape the law.

I once picked up one of my relatives on her return from Hong
Kong as migrant worker. She admitted that her job was prone to
violence and sexual abuse.

I don't know why the government is so weak in curbing the
wrongdoings of recruitment agencies.

The government is not seriously committed to the issue because
our leaders are busy thinking about money and power.

It saddens me that, on their return, the migrant workers are
also blackmailed at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport's
Terminal III. They too are Indonesian and deserve equal rights.

-- Leo Wahyudi S.