By Kresensia Risna Efrieno

Indonesia is a very large country with a population of more than 270 million people. However, what happens if many of them suffer, are destitute, and even die because of hunger, poverty, and face injustice? Issues of injustice and violence occur everywhere including rape, murder, and even human trafficking faced by Indonesian workers. Then, what can we do? It was revealed in Stube HEMAT Yogyakarta discussion about what happened to Indonesian migrant workers abroad. An online dialogue about Peace and Justice program (Saturday, 25/09/2021) presented Erwiana Sulistyaningsih, a migrant worker who was abused by her employer in Hong Kong. Twenty of the student participants studied the reality of human trafficking and the chaos that occurred in it, while at the same time, the discussion was raising awareness of the problem.

In the discussion, Erwiana revealed several reasons why many Indonesians go abroad to work as laborers, even though Indonesia is a country rich of natural resources and other unmanaged potencies. It is assumed that they tend to be the consumers rather than producers that creates dependence and it triggers a crisis. Poverty, limited education, and unemployment are the reasons to work abroad as laborer, besides having an opportunity to go abroad even though the salary is low. On the other hand, the government opens job opportunities abroad because it increases 'state income' with the increasing number of migrant workers.

The history of population migration tells that there is a change in mindset as before 1980 the sending of workers were professional workers to Europe and the Middle East and the majority were men and there were no special rules. After 1980s, the laborers were sent to the Middle East and Asia, and the majority were women as household assistants, factory workers, plantation workers, and others. Furthermore, various regulations related to migrant workers emerged, from recruitment of workers through labor supply companies, various requirements, and even state revenue from the exchange rate for remittances of workers abroad. The data from BP2MI, in August 2021, there were 5.222 placements of Indonesian migrant workers consisting of 71% working in the informal sector and 29% working in the formal sector, with variety of educational background covering elementary, middle, and high school graduates that dominate over diplomas and universities. This is a challenge to improve the quality of the workforce to work in the formal sector.

The difficulties faced by the laborers have occurred since the beginning of recruitment, the training process before they are sent abroad, even when they arrive abroad it isn’t instantly they get good conditions or high salaries as promoted at the beginning. Erwiana herself chose to become a migrant worker because she was encouraged because of the undeveloped condition of her village, limited access to improve welfare. She applied for a job in a labor company and attended briefings and was eventually sent to Hong Kong. Unluckily, she was treated unfairly by her employer in Hong Kong, and she suffered various persecutions and tortures. Access to communicate with the company and neighbors was blocked so that she could not defend herself and her condition worsened. The employer will also run away from the responsibility by sending her back to Indonesia secretly. Arriving in Indonesia, she received help from fellow migrant workers and it went viral and became a big case in Hong Kong. The court process went on and the employer was punished and then Erwiana joined the struggle of the migrant workers. Choosing to work abroad is not a bad thing but it is not an easy thing. When someone wants to work abroad, he or she must have complete provisions such as mastery of language for communication, self-skill to work according to the field, and knowledge related to the rules of working abroad, so that cases of human trafficking can be avoided.

Let’s Indonesian youth, find your own-potency, combine it with natural resources and opportunities in your region so that there is no more unemployment but productivity to support welfare.