J

an. 26, Online

An NGO called upon the government to resolve human rights abuses after Erwiana Sulistyaningsih, an Indonesian domestic worker in Hong Kong, was allegedly tortured by her employer Law Wan Tung, 44.

The Jakarta-based NGO Women'€™s Solidarity for Human Rights (Solidaritas Perempuan) said the government must provide comprehensive protection to migrant workers and their families.

Solidaritas Perempuan'€™s (SP) national executive body chairperson Wahidah Rustam said justice was still far from Erwiana. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Wahidah said, citing an example, had only made a phone call to Erwiana'€™s family without carrying out tough actions to resolve the case.

Your comments:

News of Indonesian workers being abused abroad is sadly nothing new. Week by week, the cases are getting worse. I would find it tolerable if the government was taking action to resolve such cases. However, it seems to me that they simply are not.

The government would only experience monetary gain at the cost of domestic workers'€™ most basic rights in continuing to do what they do about the issue.

Sending workers overseas has great potential to further help the development of Indonesia, and it'€™s great that we'€™re in the business. Nevertheless, now is the time to do it properly.

I believe that the most basic and fundamental responsibility a democratic government has is protecting its people.

The indifference they show just through this relatively well-known case insultingly ignores this responsibility.

The government should impose justice and deal with the numerous cases like Erwiana'€™s thoroughly, as it is their responsibility.

Prevention must also be considered through the creation and enforcement of policies and the education of workers about their rights and other essential knowledge for working abroad.

Kenneth Pong

It is right for the Women'€™s Solidarity for Human Rights to demand that the government bestow more protection on these people because, even if they are not working here, it is important to remember that they are still part of our nation.

Thus, the government is responsible for their lives; there must be better ways to do this than '€œjust a phone call'€.

I think it is important to keep a close relationship with the countries where we send our domestic workers, and receive updates every few months on how they disperse them and how they are treated.

They should have a voice, they should be allowed to speak about what has happened to them and be protected somehow. This should be a right.

If the government does not enforce this rule (or a similar one), then who or what else will have the power to do so? I really hope this is the last of these cases. Domestic workers do not deserve this kind of bad treatment.

Nicky Jay