T

he beheading of Ruyati binti Satubi, a migrant worker from Bekasi, West Java, last month triggered a moratorium on sending Indonesian workers to Saudi Arabia.

After hundreds of murder and torture cases involving migrant workers in Saudi Arabia, the Indonesian government enforced the moratorium to prevent more outrage at home.

A previous pledge to ink a bilateral agreement on protection for migrant workers by the end of this year was left all but forgotten after Ruyati’s execution.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono sent a letter of protest to Saudi Arabian King Abdullah bin Abdul Azis via Saudi Ambassador to Indonesia Abdulrahman Mohamed Amen Al-Khayyat after the beheading.

The question that remains now is how can the government make up for the lost jobs as a result of the moratorium.

Iis, a 30 year-old worker from Cianjur, said that although she was crippled with fear over the horror stories about abused Indonesian migrant workers, she still saw Saudi Arabia as a pathway to a better life and a way to provide her family with money.

For many Indonesian female workers, including Iis, working in Saudi Arabia or other Middle Eastern countries offers an opportunity for low-skilled workers that do not have a chance of earning sufficient income in South Korea, Taiwan or Japan.

With only an elementary school decree, job seekers can get work as domestic helpers in Saudia Arabia, earning up to 800 Riyal (US$213) per month.

“It’s a good income for us,” Iis told The Jakarta Post.

Working as a domestic worker abroad, she said, was one of the few good choices available to women in her hometown, most of whom were poorly educated.

For Muslim migrant workers in Saudi Arabia, there is the added bonus of being able to perform the hajj or lesser umroh pilgrimage to Mecca for low cost.

“Stopping workers from going to Saudi Arabia makes no sense at all to me,” Iis said, referring to the moratorium, which comes into effect on Aug. 1.

As a result of a string of recent abuse cases against Indonesian migrant workers, getting a job as a housemaid in Saudi Arabia is now more difficult due to tightened rules.

Tougher requirements imposed by the Indonesian government have resulted in a decrease of local workers departing to Saudi Arabia.

In the first three months of this year, the number of domestic workers sent to Saudi Arabia was down by 30 percent compared to the same period last year.

The new requirements stipulate that any Saudi employer who employs Indonesian migrant workers should have an income of at least 10,000 Riyal, or about Rp 24 million (US$2,808), per month and clarify the number of family members living in each house.

Employers must also submit maps of their homes.

According to the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry, the number of Indonesian migrant workers who are dispatched to Saudi Arabia reached 367.719 workers in 2010.

Of the total number of workers, 337,564 workers worked in the informal sector, and the remainder in the formal sector.

Dedeh Elah, an activist from Cianjur Migrant Workers Union (SBMC), said that instead of imposing the moratorium, it would be better for the government to provide better protection for Indonesian workers abroad, and improve training standards.

She said the demand for housemaids in Saudi Arabia could not be met domestically, resulting in a huge demand on such workers from outside countries. “Is it a mistake to meet the huge demand for domestic helpers in Saudi Arabia? I don’t think so,” Dedeh said.

She said that once the moratorium had taken effect, the government should be able to provide job seekers with very low educational backgrounds and alternative job opportunities so that they could still afford proper living for their families.

JP/Elly Burhaini Faizal\