Giving cell phones to migrant workers would be ‘in vain’

A proposed government initiative to hand out cell phones to Indonesian migrant workers to guarantee their safety “will be in vain”, the head of an NGO says.

"I think the [provision] of mobile phones and other communication equipment for migrant laborers is irrelevant. What the government should do is guarantee the migrants' rights to access to information and communication by providing legal certainty in the destination country," Migrant Care executive director Anis Hidayah said after attending a hearing with labor unions and Commission I legislators on Wednesday.

She said guaranteeing legal certainty in the destination country would stop employers from confiscating mobile phones.

She said the government must soon hold negotiations with destination countries to ensure the provision of the workers' rights to access to communication.

"To ensure it [the right], the violating employer must be given sanctions," she added. (gzl)