ADVOCACY GROUPS FOR INDONESIAN WOMEN MIGRANT WORKERS’ PROTECTION
ABSTRACT: International labour
migration is one possible means by which the Indonesian government could
overcome the problems of providing employment for its economically active
growing population, especially in the local contexts. However, due to low
educational levels, lack of skills and tight competition with labour migrants
from other countries, the majority of Indonesian migrant workers abroad can
only partake in unskilled employment in the plantation, construction, domestic
or other service sectors. In 2012, it was estimated that there were more than 6
million Indonesian migrant workers overseas, with between 30 to 40 per cent of
the total number, women, mostly working as low-skilled labour in the service
sector as domestic workers and care givers. It has become evident that
Indonesian migrant workers are vulnerable to abusive behaviour and
exploitation, since they 2 | Jurnal Kependudukan Indonesia lack protection of
their basic human rights and their rights at work, with Indonesian women
migrant workers, due to the nature of their work and gender discrimination,
facing a higher risk of being exploited. The Indonesian government does not
provide its citizens, working as labour migrants abroad, with enough of the
safeguards advocated in international protective instruments. Indonesia
ratified the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All
Migrants Workers and Their Families (ICRMW) only on 12 April 2012 and this
needs to be followed up by some government regulations for full implementation.
This condition highlights the importance of increasing the attention of
institutions (government and private) involved in managing Indonesian international
labour migration, especially its female labour migration, to improve the
protection of their rights. This paper elaborates the role and strategy of
various advocacy groups, (e.g, Non Government Organizations) in empowering
Indonesian women migrants/potential migrants regarding their rights and
obligations; to ensure their legal protection. The information is from some
qualitative studies involving relevant sources of information, conducted by the
authors, especially in the Indramayu District, West Java and the Tulungagung
District, East Java. The analysis is that based on a life-cycle approach to
protect migrant rights during their pre deployment, their onsite protection (in
destination/host countries), their return and their reintegration in their home
countries.
Keywords: Protection for
Indonesian migrant workers, women migrant workers, advocacy, Non Government
Organization
Penulis: Aswatini Raharto,
Mita Noveria
Kode Jurnal: jpsosiologidd120260
