'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.