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Alleged student trafficking raises questions on lack of oversight
Following the ferienjob scandal in Germany, experts urge the Education, Culture, Research and Technology Ministry and local universities to improve their oversight of Indonesian students who go abroad for internships.
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Illustration of a university classroom. (Shutterstock/Aquir)
A
n alleged human trafficking scheme targeting Indonesian university students in Germany under the guise of internships has shed light on the lack of protection provided for students abroad, with experts raising calls for better oversight from the government and local universities.
The Education, Culture, Research and Technology and Ministry has been under fire recently over its handling of an alleged human trafficking ring in Germany.
Over 1,000 Indonesian university students were reportedly exploited and put into low-paying jobs after they signed up for ferienjob, a German government program allowing university students to earn side income as part-time workers during a semester break.
The students left for Germany in October believing that the program was part of the Indonesian education ministry’s Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) initiative, which allows Indonesian university students to gain academic credits beyond the classroom through internships, among other means.
Reports emerged that the students were put to work as dishwashers and delivery workers, among other manual labor jobs. They were also paid wages below what had been agreed in their contracts, prompting a human trafficking investigation from the National Police in March.
Read also: Alleged trafficking targeting students raises alarm
The ferienjob fiasco should lead the ministry to be more aware of potential loopholes in its policies, said education expert Ina Liem.
