Troubled migrant workers end up in Batam city

Fadli, The Jakarta Post, Batam

It's been five days now, and all Siti Rohani can do is sit in Batam city's Social Affairs Office hall. The 24-year-old native of Medan says she ran away from her employer's house in Johor Baru, Malaysia after being beaten.

"I could not stand working for my employer, but the agent that placed me there did not want to know. The agent forced me to keep on working there. But I couldn't do it anymore, so I ran away," Siti told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

She said she ran away at 6 a.m. on March 14, but was arrested by the Malaysian police who then took her to the Indonesian consulate in Johor.

She stayed at the consulate with hundreds of other Indonesian migrant workers until March 31. Then, along with 17 other Indonesian workers, she then taken by consulate staff to Batam, where they were handed over to the social affairs office.

Four of the 18 housemaids ran away from the office, while the other 13 went back to their hometowns using their own money.

"But I don't have enough money, so I'm the only one left here," Siti said.

She said she went to Malaysia to earn money to help her family. She went through a manpower agency in Medan, along with dozens of other Indonesian migrant workers.

She arrived in Malaysia in January, with the agent promising that she would get a salary of RM400 (Rp 960,000) per month. But when she reached Malaysia, her employer said they would only pay her RM300, which for the first three months would be paid to the agent.

"After working there for two and a half months I couldn't stand it any longer. I don't get any money, just physical abuse, so I ran away," said Siti, who claimed she had to work 20 hours per day, from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily.

Head of social insurance and assistance at Batam's social affairs office, Zulfikar, said that many Indonesian migrant workers from Malaysia had taken shelter at the office.

Since early January this year, the office had accommodated around 50 migrant workers. On April 1, the Indonesian consulate in Johor Baru sent another 18 housemaids.

"Only Siti is left here now. We don't know why the consulate sends so many problematic Indonesian migrant workers here to Batam. Maybe because of its close proximity.

"But we're not taking responsibility for runaway workers or sending them back to their hometowns. If we have money, we help to send them back home; if not, they stay here," Zulfikar said.

During their stay at the social affairs office, the workers are given three meals a day.

"We can't reject them (the Indonesian migrant workers). The consulate asked us to take them. It means more work for us, while we still have many things to do here in Batam," Zulfikar said.