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Your letters: The plight of Sumayah
In July, Chris Vogel wrote in the Washingtonian, a monthly magazine focusing on feature journalism, politics and lifestyle, about a specific concern on the appalling fate of two Indonesian migrant workers reportedly enslaved in the house of a Syrian-American woman, Farah Atassi
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n July, Chris Vogel wrote in the Washingtonian, a monthly magazine focusing on feature journalism, politics and lifestyle, about a specific concern on the appalling fate of two Indonesian migrant workers reportedly enslaved in the house of a Syrian-American woman, Farah Atassi.
He narrated the fate of Sinta, a pseudonym used for her protection. On July 23, Agatha Schamedick Tan contacted Jurnal Perempuan regarding information on Sumayah, who had returned to Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara.
Tan's work focuses on domestic workers and labor trafficking for the Asia-Pacific American Legal Resource Center (APALRC). She is now helping to bring the case of Indonesian migrant workers reportedly abused by Atassi to court in Virginia.
Tan is looking for the other worker reportedly abused and enslaved by Atassi.
Her name is Sumayah, who was trafficked before her client and overlapped with her client briefly in the US. Sumayah went back to Lombok a few years ago and Tan is trying to find her to get a witness statement.
So, in a nutshell, she is asking for help to find someone in Lombok. It might sound like trying to find a needle in a haystack, but Tan says it is very important for justice to prevail. Jurnal Perempuan has contacted women's organizations or advocates in Lombok who might be able to help.
Tan is now in the process of litigating this case. Indonesian domestic workers who are trafficked to America and elsewhere (mainly to Middle East and Malaysia) and forced to work largely without pay are abundant, ubiquitous and most of the time invisible.
Tan, Jurnal Perempuan and other three Sahabat Jurnal Perempuan (Friends of Jurnal Perempuan) in Lombok are now trying very hard to look for Sumayah in order to find justice for both Sumayah and Sinta for the abuse they reportedly suffered at the hands of Atassi.
Dian Aryani (Yayasan Tunas Alam Indonesia), Yuni Riawati (Jaringan Masyarakat Sipil Lombok Barat) and Ririn Hayudiani (Lembaga Pengembangan Sumber Daya Mitra) have been for several days trying to locate Sumayah but in vain.
Perhaps readers could kindly help in assisting us in locating Sumayah in Lombok. Any migrant workers abroad who are being enslaved would love nothing more than to bring justice to both.
Dewi Candraningrum
'Jurnal Perempuan' chief editor, Jakarta
