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Migrant worker protection should begin at home: Activists tell government
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Indonesian Migrant Workers Union secretary-general Anwar Maarif (right) along with the union’s Mempawah chapter head Mahadir (left) and Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation lawyer Monica (second left) hold a press conference on Sunday in Jakarta to address human trafficking. (Antara/Nova Wahyudi)
W
hile Indonesia continues to seek international recognition for its role in migrant worker protection, activists have urged the government to do more at home, particularly as it has not yet drafted implementing regulations for the 2017 Migrant Worker Protection Law.
A biannual resolution on female migrant workers was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in New York earlier this week, following a push by Indonesia and the Philippines — which are among the world's major sending countries of female domestic workers.
The resolution, which has been initiated by the two neighboring countries since 1993, aims to increase the awareness of UN members on the importance of respecting the rights of female migrant workers and their families, as well as protecting these workers from violence and rights violations.
Through the nonbinding resolution, the UN General Assembly called on each government to adopt or strengthen measures to protect the rights of female migrant workers, including domestic workers, regardless of their migratory status, including in policies that regulate the recruitment and deployment of female migrant workers.
"The protection of female migrant workers from violence and human rights violations is a form of acknowledgement of the positive contribution of female migrant workers to promoting inclusive growth and sustainable development," said Indonesia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dian Triansyah Djani in a statement on Tuesday.
Labor rights advocacy group Migrant CARE said, however, that Indonesia’s moral position on the international stage should be reflected locally, particularly given that this month marks two years since the 2017 Migrant Protection Law to revise the previous 2004 law was passed.
The new law, which marked a shift in government focus, from a probusiness perspective to a protection-first perspective, mandates that a set of implementing government regulations on legal, social and economic protection for migrant workers be issued two years after the law enactment.
