Woman leaders blast sending of maids abroad

Woman leaders blast sending of maids abroad

JAKARTA (JP): Two prominent women have deplored the
government's inability to stop the sending of young Indonesian
women to work as domestic helpers abroad despite repeated pledges
to phase out the practice.

Kuraisin Sumhadi, president of the International Council of
Women, and Enny Busiri, chairperson of the Indonesian Women's
Congress (Kowani), said that the menial jobs these women are
doing abroad are "demeaning" and "harming Indonesian women's
images".

Interviewed separately by the Antara news agency, Kuraisin and
Enny expressed similar abhorrence over reports that many
Indonesian women workers have been raped and abused by their
employers in some countries, including Saudi Arabia.

"I am really concerned, because the welfare of these women
working as servants abroad hasn't changed for the better,"
Kuraisin said.

She blamed the manpower supplier companies for the condition.

"We appreciate the government's drive to promote the welfare
and dignity of women workers, but those who are directly involved
in managing them are only human, with many flaws," she said.

Kuraisin said Kowani has long been opposed to the sending of
women to work as maidservants abroad. "Many of the women are
poorly educated and are unaware of their legal rights."

Enny said many of the workers are underqualified. "Take the
housekeeper position, for instance, which usually pays more and
provides better welfare," Enny said. "Many of our workers are
trained to work as housemaids, but not as housekeepers."

Enny acknowledged that to immediately stop sending women
workers abroad is not a practical solution, given the huge sums
of foreign exchange at stake.

"We can't prohibit those women from seeking better jobs, it's
their right, especially since Indonesia has not been able to
create adequate employment opportunities for them," Enny said.

She said Kowani, which is the umbrella organization of some 70
women groups, called on labor suppliers to tighten their
procedures in selecting and sending women workers, and ensure
better protection and monitoring of the women.

Members of the Commission VI of the House of Representatives
who recently visited Saudi Arabia said last week that as many as
1,500 Indonesian women workers in Saudi Arabia have been raped
and abused. Some of them are pregnant.

Indonesia and Saudi officials have refuted the allegations,
saying that while there are cases of abuse, the number is not as
high as the House members suggest.

"Women all over the world face this dire condition," Kuraisin
said. "Women in Western countries may fare a little better
because they are more aware of their legal rights, so their
employers are not free to mistreat them."

Kuraisin said Indonesian women workers are partly to blame for
this condition because they insisted on going despite knowing the
risk that it entailed.

Their poor educational background make them sitting ducks for
people out to dupe them, she said.

"They knew that Saudi labor policies do not guarantee
housemaids adequate protection, but they went there anyway,"
Kuraisin said. "We can't put all the blame on the Saudi Arabian
government as we can't force them to change their laws." (swe)