SMART FM and ILO Interactive Talkshow: “The Long Journey of Justice for Indonesian Migrant Workers” Jakarta, 5 October 2011

Background

Growing numbers of Indonesian women and men continue to opt for overseas labour migration as the best way of securing an adequate income for their families and escaping poverty. However, the social and economic costs of migration to the workers and their families are many, but are often poorly understood and documented.

As the second largest sending country, some 700.000 documented Indonesian migrant workers leave the country for work abroad, primarily in East and South East Asia as well as the Middle East. Of these, 78 per cent work as domestic workers. In 2009, around 4.3 million Indonesians were estimated to be working abroad. Even though Indonesian migrant workers are the second largest contributor to Indonesia’s foreign exchange incomes, amounting to about USD 2.4 billion annually, many of these “foreign exchange heroes” experience exploitation and abuse throughout the migration process, both in Indonesia and abroad.

Objectives

The talkshow aims to raise awareness about the plight of Indonesian domestic migrant workers in Indonesia and to stimulate an interactive discussion by participants on the importance of the ratification of the international instruments on migrant workers to provide better protection to the Indonesian migrant workers. The talkshow will also be live relayed in four cities: Jakarta, Medan, Semarang and Makassar.

Resource Persons

Reyna Usman, Director General of Manpower Placement and Empowerment, Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration; Muhammad Ansor, Director of Human Rights, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Okky Asokawati, Parliament Member of Commission IX; and Anis Hidayah (Director of Migrant Care).

For further information please contact:

Albert Y. Bonasahat National Project Coordinator Tel.: +6221 391 3112 ext. 125 Email

Gita Lingga Media Relations Officer Tel.: +6221 391 3112 ext. 115 Email