ASIATODAY.ID, PEKANBARU – The Indonesian Migrant Worker Protection Agency (BP2MI) noted that more than 9 million Indonesian citizens are migrant workers (PMI) abroad. Of that number, 4,868,720 people were recorded in BP2MI data, the remaining around 4 million departed illegally, even through human trafficking syndicates.
BP2MI’s Director of Protection and Empowerment for Europe and the Middle East, Brigadier General Dayan Victor Imanuel Blegur, explained that Indonesia is currently in an emergency situation for illegal migrant workers.
In the last four years, as of December 2023 alone, there were 644,297 migrant workers from Indonesia who had worked abroad.
“This means that there are around 4 million more migrant workers who left without procedures and were not recorded in our system,” said Dayan, in Pekanbaru, Monday, December 4 2023.
Meanwhile, the largest number of Indonesian migrant workers was placed in Malaysia, namely 1,362,492 people, followed by Hong Kong with 965,101 people, and Saudi Arabia with 454,926 people. Apart from that, 23,301 people were placed through government to government cooperation in South Korea, Japan and Germany.
To prevent the rise of human trafficking, BP2MI is currently intensively conducting outreach and coordination with relevant stakeholders. The aim is for the public to better understand the negative impacts of human trafficking and not easily accept the lure of big salaries abroad from syndicates.
“We provide information to the public so that they go abroad to become migrant workers procedurally and follow existing rules. We hope that the public will not be seduced by syndicates. We also convey that there is legal placement for Indonesian migrant workers abroad in accordance with with competence,” he explained.
Dayan emphasized that his party is also alert to and fighting against human trafficking syndicates that try to take advantage of the community’s weak economic situation to become illegal migrant workers.
“We are collaborating with all ministries, including law enforcement officials, police and military to carry out preventive efforts,” he explained.
From 2019 to early December 2023, BP2MI has handled 107,262 Indonesian Migrant Workers with problems. Where 90% of victims are illegal migrant workers, 80% of whom are women. (AT Network)
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