Nuwa Wea hears horror stories of RI maids

Nuwa Wea hears horror stories of RI maids

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Kuwait has sent 99 Indonesian workers to prison, including seven
women who fell pregnant and gave birth in prison after having
a relationship with their employers.

Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Jacob Nuwa Wea who
along with several legislators and representatives of recruitment
agencies was on an official visit to the Middle East, met the
detainees when he made a visit to a prison under the jurisdiction
of the Sulaibia Kuwaiti Immigration Department, where the workers
are serving their prison sentence.

Spokesman for the manpower ministry Hotma Panjaitan who
accompanied the minister, said that the workers asked the
minister to lobby the Kuwaiti authorities for their repatriation
since they could no longer endure conditions in the prison,
especially the way prison guards have mistreated them.

The minister empathizes with the Indonesian workers but he
cannot do anything to help them as Indonesia has to comply with
the law in Kuwait, he said.

Hotma said that the Indonesian workers were frantic to meet
the minister when they knew that Nuwa Wea was making a visit to
the prison.

He conceded that conditions in the prison were quite bad.

"Security at the prison is very tough. We were not allowed to
bring in any cameras, cellular phones and or tape recorders to
prevent any information leaks from the prison," he said.

Hotma explained that the Indonesian prisoners, mostly women,
have been jailed mostly for having affairs with their employers,
a crime punishable with a prison sentence in the small but
prosperous country.

Many workers who spoke to the minister complained of poor
treatment by prison guards, but many others begged the minister
to release them and send them back home.

"A lot of workers reported that they had not been given bath
soap, tooth brushes and toothpaste or other personal needs. They
often receive poor quality food," he said.

Aidah of Kerawang, West Java, who along with her eight-month-
old son has been jailed for one year said she wanted to go home
so that she could give her son a normal life.

She said she gave birth in prison and would tell her son to
kill his father when he grows up for refusing to take
responsibility for the child.

"I will train my son to shoot his father," she said in a
emotional tone.

She said she had an affair with her employer's son during the
four years she worked there, but later was sent to jail after
being sentenced by an Islamic court.

Ela Nurlila who was sent to prison after having a relationship
with her male employer questioned the indictment even though she
was already married to a Syrian driver.

"I was indicted after my employer knew I was married to the
Syrian driver," she said.

Legislator Tjarda Mochtar called on the government to hire
lawyers to provide legal aid for Indonesian workers employed
overseas.

"It is irrational that workers are jailed for falling in love,
whether with their employers or their fellow workers," he said.

Hotma said that of the 99 jailed workers, almost 90 percent
were women and seven were bringing up their children born in the
prison.

Kuwaiti Ambassador to Indonesia Muhammad Fadel Khalaf was not
available for comment on Wednesday.