PAP programs for female workers headed for abroad

JAKARTA (JP): Female workers who will be sent overseas will again have the chance to prepare themselves with skills and information through the reinstated training session (PAP) organized by non-governmental organizations to avoid possible cases of abuse and scam.

"The session, held for three to four days prior to their departure, is a final checkpoint on their readiness to work abroad," coordinator of PAP training Giwo Rubianto Wiyogo told media on Monday.

The PAP session, initiated by the Indonesian Women's Congress (Kowani) -- which comprises 77 female organizations -- will equip female workers with basic information and education to protect them.

Among the materials given are self-defense, sexual education, faith and religion, language, information about Indonesia's consulate or embassy and details on their working contacts.

Giwo charged that despite the numerous reports of abuse and legal difficulties faced by Indonesian female workers abroad, the government has never done anything decisive about resolving it, she said.

"The number of sexual, physical assaults and robberies towards female workers are very high. Therefore in this scheme the workers will undergo a PAP session after their two-week work training held at training workshops.

"We pushed for the PAP session since many workshops were nothings more than rip-offs...In some case the workers never even received any training and it was just a formality while their contract and working permits are being held up by some officials at PJTKI (Labor Exporters Association)," Giwo said.

The training sessions, which in Jakarta will be held at Asrama Haji Pondok Gede in East Jakarta, holds between five to 20 classes per day with around 60 prospective workers per class.

The session will also include free medical training, held in cooperation with the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital (RSCM), for those who will work as paramedics, nurses or baby sitters, Kowani chairwoman Inne Soekaryo said.

"Eighty percent of the laborers, however, are housemaids. We cannot just let PJTKI or other interested parties take advantage of the workers' ignorance. Those workers have been cheated for too long," Inne said.

The PAP sessions were first held in December 1999; however they were suspended earlier this month after intensive lobbying from several labor exporter companies which felt disturbed by their existence, Inne said.

"Those labor exporters were disturbed since through the session the workers were becoming better aware about their rights and dared to demand fair treatment," she added.

She claimed that the session was again allowed to operate after the Directorate General for Workers' Training and Plotting (Binapenta) learnt about the real situation.(edt)