Susilo calls for end to abuse of maids abroad

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has instructed Minister of Religious Affairs M. Maftuh Basyuni to seek ways to put an end to abuse suffered by Indonesian maids working in Saudi Arabia.

"Please, settle the cases so there will be no repeat in the future," he told the minister by telephone while making an impromptu visit to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport with several journalists to meet dozens of migrant workers who had just returned to Indonesia.

Workers and journalists overheard the conversation, as Susilo had turned on the speaker of his cellular phone.

Maftuh is set to fly to Saudi Arabia on Sunday for an official visit in relation to the development of a hospital there for Indonesian pilgrims.

Some of the workers, who looked surprised by Susilo's visit to the arrival terminal for returning migrant workers, complained about their ordeal in Saudi Arabia.

One of them told him that the family she worked for as a maid had sexually abused her. Another said she was not paid her salary, while several others that they were beaten by their employers.

Meanwhile, AFP reported the case of an Indonesian maid, Nur Miyati, who had been abused severely by her employers in Saudi Arabia. Nur had to have her fingers amputated because of the extent of the injuries they had sustained.

Despite the wounds and bruises on her body that attest to her having been a victim of violence, she is to face trial for "making false allegations which misled the inquiry".

Nur had told the Saudi authorities that she had been tortured by her employers. However, the authorities concluded after an inquiry that she had merely been "beaten".

Susilo said he wanted to observe directly how returning workers were treated by authorities at the airport, amid reports that they had been subject to extortion by officials and middlemen.

"It is the responsibility of the government and the state to protect them," Susilo said after the visit.

The President also asked Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration and airport officials not to impose illegal fees on the workers.

"I want such things cleared up. Don't (impose) unnecessary fees and requirements on the workers," he said, adding that officials must not create difficulties for the workers.

In the past, migrant workers have frequently been prey to extortion by middlemen -- most of whom collaborate with government officials -- particularly at the special arrival terminal for migrant workers. The most common form of extortion is forcing workers to pay excessive fees for transportation back to their hometowns.