Minister P2MI: UN Committee Recommendations Strengthen Indonesian Migrant Worker Protection

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Minister for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (P2MI) Mukhtarudin stated that the recommendations of the United Nations Committee on Migrant Workers (CMW) represent a momentum to strengthen the protection of Indonesian migrant workers (PMI). This was conveyed by Mukhtarudin whilst opening the Dissemination Forum on the UN Committee’s Concluding Observations (CO) on the Protection of Migrant Workers and the Formulation of a National Action Plan (RAN) in Jakarta on Tuesday. “As a UN member state and a state party to the convention, Indonesia has an international legal obligation to follow up on all recommendations and report on the progress of their implementation periodically,” Mukhtarudin said in a press statement from the Ministry of P2MI. He explained that the CO document serves as an official reference for evaluation and recommendations for improvement, such as harmonising national regulations, strengthening institutional coordination, and increasing access to protection and justice for PMI and their families. The document contains 33 substantive recommendations, including strengthening human rights-based migration governance, regulatory harmonisation, protection of migrant workers, access to justice, eradication of the criminal act of human trafficking, handling digital exploitation, consular services, social security, and reintegration of migrant workers, he said. According to Mukhtarudin, a number of these recommendations are directly related to the mandate of the Ministry of P2MI, particularly the formulation of a comprehensive national migration strategy that is human rights-based, gender-sensitive, and has measurable indicators and targets. He stressed that the protection of migrant workers abroad must be strengthened through improving the quality of consular services, data collection of both documented and undocumented migrant workers, provision of safe houses (shelters), legal aid, and support for repatriation and reintegration. Furthermore, he also emphasised the importance of special attention for women migrant workers, children of migrant workers, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups so that they are protected from gender-based violence, discrimination, exploitation, and other human rights violations. Mukhtarudin asserted that the forum must be a momentum to build commitment among ministries and agencies, regional governments, civil society, migrant worker organisations, and all stakeholders so that the National Action Plan becomes a national reference in improving governance and strengthening the protection of PMI. The Indonesian government under President Prabowo Subianto is obliged to submit a follow-up report to the CMW Committee no later than 1 January 2028, and the next periodic report by 1 January 2031. The successful formulation of the RAN will be a benchmark for Indonesia’s commitment to fulfilling its international obligations while strengthening a migrant worker protection system that is more responsive, inclusive, and oriented towards respect for human rights. He said the government is targeting that all CMW Committee recommendations can be implemented in a measurable manner so that PMI protection is increasingly robust from the pre-placement stage, during work abroad, until returning to the homeland.