August 27, 2025 | 01:53 am
Secretary of the Directorate General of the Indonesian Ministry of Manpower's Migrant Worker Protection (KPPMI), Dayan Victor Imanuel, believes that most of the problems faced by migrant workers are due to non-procedural departures.
"Due to non-procedural departures, workers do not receive maximum protection from the state," he said in a public discussion entitled Revision of the Law on Migrant Worker Protection and the Future of Indonesian Migrant Worker Protection at the Office of the National Commission on Violence against Women on Monday, August 25, 2025.
The Indonesian government is pushing for a revision of Law No. 18 of 2017 concerning the Protection of Migrant Workers. Victor said that the ministry will focus on improving regulations regarding overseas internships and the mechanism for work competency certification in the revision.
Chairperson of the National Commission on Violence against Women, Maria Ulfah Anshor, stated that the state is obliged to protect all Indonesian migrant workers (PMIs), both legal and illegal. Regardless of their departure being formal or informal, she emphasized that PMIs must be protected while they are Indonesian citizens.
"Even if they are illegal and make mistakes, it's true. But still, in the context of fulfilling their right to life, the state must ensure that they have a decent life," said Ulfah.
Ulfah criticized the government's tendency to wash their hands of the violence experienced by illegally departing PMIs. She highlighted the rampant violence and human rights violations that occur among migrant workers, especially female migrant workers who are predominantly employed in the domestic sector.
According to the commission's records, hundreds of cases of violence occur annually among female migrant workers. The forms of violence they experience vary, ranging from physical, psychological, sexual, economic, to human trafficking. This violence continues from the recruitment phase until their return.
She hopes that the revision will not only focus on technical changes, but will truly provide substantive protection based on human rights and gender justice. "The hope is that this revision can address the structural vulnerabilities faced by migrant women at every stage, while ensuring that their safety and dignity are placed above economic interests," she said.
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