Protection for Indonesian Migrant Workers in the Middle East Must Be a National Priority

Escalation of the Middle East conflict involving Iran and the United States is widening and affecting Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Iraq. These countries are major destinations for Indonesian migrant workers, so instability demands swift, measured government action to ensure the safety of Indonesian nationals, especially migrant workers.

Member of the Indonesian Parliament, Commission IX, Heru Tjahjono, stressed that the protection of migrant workers must be a national priority. Based on official January 2026 data published by KP2MI, the number of Indonesian migrant workers recorded in these regions includes 8,308 in Saudi Arabia, 1,439 in the United Arab Emirates, and 763 in Kuwait, with the majority employed as domestic workers, elderly carers, and informal sector labourers.

‘This figure is not small. Thousands of our migrant workers are in a region undergoing escalation in conflict. The state must ensure their safety, as mandated by Law No. 18 of 2017 on the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers, particularly Article 6 which guarantees safety and security during work,’ he said in a press release received in Jakarta on Wednesday 4 March.

He emphasised that concrete steps to be taken immediately include re-mapping migrant workers who could be directly affected by the escalation, and that representations through the Indonesian Embassies (KBRI) and Consulates (KJRI) in each affected country should re-register, monitor field conditions, and ensure emergency communication channels are easily accessible to migrant workers.

‘We urge the government, through KBRI and KJRI in destination countries, to quickly establish a hotline or dedicated information centre for Indonesian migrant workers. This service is essential to ensure information on conditions, safety and needs of migrant workers can be monitored and updated regularly,’ he stated.

He therefore called on the Ministry of Protection for Indonesian Migrant Workers to intensify coordination with the Indonesian Migrant Worker Placement Companies (P3MI) to ensure the safety and monitoring of each worker. He also stressed that providing information certainty for families back home is a crucial part of comprehensive protection.

‘The state must be present concretely, ensuring our migrant workers are protected and their families receive certainty amidst a volatile global situation,’ he concluded.