Palestine has yet to move in maid abuse case

JAKARTA (JP): Palestinian Ambassador Ribbi Awad said on Thursday that he had yet to receive an instruction from his government to start an investigation into the alleged abuse of a female Indonesian migrant worker by her employer in Gaza last March.

"I sent letters to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Minister of Foreign Affairs Farouq Qouddomi on May 25, telling them of the allegations and asking the government to initiate an investigation.

"But I have yet to receive a reply from Palestine, thus I can do nothing because I can work only based on instructions," he said during a meeting with Chairman of the Legal Aid Institute for Indonesian Migrant Workers (LPBHTKI) Munir Achmad, who represented the abused worker Mela Windasari Afandi, 14, (not Mela Indahsari as reported earlier).

The meeting, also attended by Mela's father Afandi, was held in conjunction with the embassy's initiatives seeking ways to resolve the problem.

The opportunity was also used by Ribbi, who spoke in Arabic and was translated by his staffer, Kamali Nasuha, to collect data regarding the case.

The ambassador said it was the Palestinian government that would conduct the investigation, "what I can do is just provide my government with necessary data."

Ribbi stated earlier that neither he nor the Palestinian government could accept the treatment allegedly meted out to Mela.

The teenage migrant worker reportedly sustained repeated abuse from her employers and representatives from the labor agency in Gaza from the outset of her contract in March. Her legs were broken after falling from the third floor apartment of her fourth employer when she tried to flee.

Instead of earning the contracted wage of US$125, Mela who worked illegally in Palestine, spent the last two months at Al Gaza Hospital in Gaza.

An operation was performed without her consent to insert a metal support along her damaged spine.

The girl is now still receiving treatment at the National Police R.S. Soekanto Hospital in Kramatjati, East Jakarta.

Ribbi read aloud his letters to Arafat and Qouddomi saying that the abuse was a sensitive issue that should be handled soon, "for the sake of maintaining relations between Indonesia and Palestine."

Along with the letters, a clipping from The Jakarta Post was also attached with the file prepared by Ribbi.

"It is understandable if the Palestinian government has not reacted yet due to the lack of data. The only information they have is the report by The Jakarta Post," he said.

Representatives of the embassy visited Mela at the police hospital at the end of last month.

During the Thursday meeting, Munir said he expected the embassy would take action against some Palestinians who illegally recruited migrant workers here.

"With cooperation from the City Police, we have identified a Palestinian who was allegedly involved in Mela's case. He is identified only as Arsyad," said Munir while showing the picture of Arsyad, who is still at large.

Ribbi vowed to forward the picture of Arsyad to the Palestinian police to assist the investigation.

The victim's father Afandi said after the meeting that Mela's condition had not shown any improvement.

"The hospital has even recommended another operation because the metal support is broken.

"Mela has cried many times since hearing that she should undergo another operation," he said. (ind)