Ministry P2MI Strengthens Public Communication to Prevent Illegal Recruitment

The Ministry of Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (P2MI) is strengthening protection for Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMI) by enhancing public communication to raise awareness of various non-procedural recruitment schemes. The Balai Pelayanan Pelindungan Pekerja Migran Indonesia (BP3MI) of North Sumatra held a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) with the theme “Government Political Communication Strategy in Handling Online Scammers in Cambodia for Indonesian Migrant Workers.” A lecturer from the University of Muhammadiyah Jakarta, Nani Nurani Muksin, who served as a resource person at the FGD, stated that transnational crime syndicates exploit social media, instant messaging applications, and fake job vacancies to trap victims with offers of high salaries and easy departure processes. According to Nani, the government needs to formulate a political communication strategy that reaches the wider community, especially the productive age group, by presenting information that is fast, accurate, easy to understand, and capable of strengthening public trust. “Educating the public is not enough with just prohibitions; it must also provide an understanding of the perpetrators’ modus operandi and the importance of choosing legal migrant worker placement channels,” Nani said. She assessed that digital literacy-based communication can be an important instrument to increase public vigilance against overseas job offers. She added that effective public communication and inter-agency synergy must be part of the national strategy to protect Indonesian citizens so that the message of safe migration can reach the community more widely. Meanwhile, the Head of BP3MI North Sumatra, Kombes Pol. Budi Novijanto, said that his party continues to strengthen the dissemination of safe migration through collaboration with local governments, law enforcement officials, universities, mass media, and various elements of society. “We urge the public not to be easily tempted by job offers with large salaries circulating on social media without going through official procedures. Ensure that the entire placement process is carried out legally so that the rights and protection of migrant workers are guaranteed,” said Budi. On 3 July, the Indonesian Embassy in Phnom Penh reported that during January to June 2026, a total of 12,019 Indonesian citizens who had been involved in scam networks had reported and requested repatriation facilities to Indonesia. The embassy noted that this figure has more than doubled the number of cases throughout 2025, which reached 5,088 Indonesian citizens. Currently, around 676 Indonesian citizens are in various Cambodian government detention facilities, with more than 500 placed at the Bati Pre-Deportation Center in Takeo Province, and approximately 1,250 other Indonesian citizens are in Cambodian government detention facilities in Pochentong following an operation around Phnom Penh. As of 30 June 2026, the Indonesian Embassy in Phnom Penh had facilitated the repatriation of 5,487 Indonesian citizens and issued 4,368 Travel Documents in Lieu of Passports (SPLP) for Indonesian citizens without passports.