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Rights groups zero in on migrant workers' plight in Geneva
Civil society groups from Indonesia have highlighted the lack of government policies that guaranteed the protection of Indonesian women migrant workers during the ongoing UN Human Rights commission meeting on migrant workers rights, held on Sept. 4-Sept. 13 in Geneva, Switzerland.
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Struggle for life: Migrant workers from South Sulawesi and West Sulawesi, together with their children, disembark from a vessel on March 6 at Tunon Taka Port in Nunukan regency, North Kalimantan. Indonesia is presenting a State Report at the ongoing 27th OHCHR session on migrant workers' rights in Geneva, Switzerland. (Antara/M. Rusman)
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ivil society groups from Indonesia have highlighted the lack of government policies that guaranteed the protection of Indonesian women migrant workers during the ongoing Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) session on migrant workers rights, held on Sept. 4-Sept. 13 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Speaking at the UN’s 27th session of the Committee on the Protection of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (CMW), Migrant CARE executive director Wahyu Susilo said the lack of regulations protecting Indonesian migrant workers had caused migrant workers, particular,y female migrant workers, vulnerable to discrimination, violence and legal issues, including the threat of a death penalty.
“Children of migrant workers cannot obtain their rights on their birth certificates, for example,” Wahyu said in a statement on Tuesday.
Migrant CARE is a Jakarta-based NGO that advocates the rights of Indonesian migrant workers and their families.
Taking part in the CMW session, where Indonesia is presenting a State Report, are several other Indonesian rights watchdogs, including the Jakarta-based Human Rights Working Group (HRWG), Kesehatan untuk Semua (Health for All) Foundation in Lembata, East Nusa Tenggara, and the Surakarta-based Social Analysis and Research Institute (SARI).
Wahyu regretted the absence of representatives from two state-sanctioned rights agencies, the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) and the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) in Monday’s session, during which Indonesia’s civil society groups presented the difficult conditions Indonesian migrant workers face. (ebf)
