Pandemic, the Illegal Recruitment of Prospective Migrant Workers Uncontrolled
The illegal recruitment for prospective Indonesian migrant workers has allegedly been rampant during the Covid-19 pandemic.
By
ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI
·4 minutes read
CIREBON, KOMPAS — The illegal recruitment for prospective Indonesian migrant workers has allegedly been rampant during the Covid-19 pandemic. In the last six months, the Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Agency (BP2MI) raided nine recruitment sites in a number of areas and found hundreds of prospective workers.
In the latest case, BP2MI found 25 prospective migrant workers at three recruitment sites in Cirebon regency, West Java, Saturday (17/10/2020) evening. Three people were accommodated in rent houses in Plumbon, 13 people in Karangasem, and nine people in Kejuden. There were no signboards for the company recruiting the prospective migrant workers in the rent houses.
The male workers, among others, came from Central Lampung (Lampung), Blitar (East Java), and Mataram (West Nusa Tenggara). They slept on the floor with only mats and thin mattresses.
In Karangasem, four people occupied a room of about 6 square meters. The windows were covered with hanging clothes. There was only one bathroom and a fan. There was no permit letter indicating the house was used as a shelter for the prospective migrant workers.
The place is not in accordance with the Regulation of the Manpower and Transmigration Minister of the Republic of Indonesia No: PER.07/MEN/ V/2005 concerning the Standard for the Shelters of Indonesian Workers. Shelters, for example, must have a permit from the local government. One room should also be occupied by a maximum of eight people with a single bed, ventilation and others.
"Individuals may not accommodate prospective Indonesian migrant workers," said the head of BP2MI, Benny Rhamdani, who directly led the raid. The prospective migrant workers who will be deployed to Taiwan and Poland were accommodated by a sponsor or recruiter, Titin Marcini.
They had already paid Rp 45 million to Rp 50 million. In fact, the financing structure for the deployment of a prospective migrant worker to Taiwan is around Rp 17 million.
Individuals may not accommodate prospective Indonesian migrant workers
Benny suspected that the recruitment of the prospective migrant workers was carried out illegally because some of them had been waiting for departure for more than a year. "They have already paid Rp 45 million to Rp 50 million. In fact, the cost structure (financing structure for the prospective migrant workers) in Taiwan is around Rp 17 million," he said.
From the raid, his agency held six prospective migrant workers for further questioning. His agency will also explore the role of Titin, who admitted to deploying prospective migrant workers through PT Lintas Cakrabuana in Cilacap, Central Java.
In fact, in the BP2MI system, PT Lintas Cakrawala Buana is only located in Cengkareng, Jakarta. "Is that what was said by Titin was wrong, later we will coordinate with the local manpower office. These findings will also be submitted to Bareskrim Polri," he said, referring to the National Police\'s Criminal Investigation Department.
Titin admitted that the recruitment sites did not have a permit. "I only facilitate them (prospective migrant workers) because they are far from their regions of origin for further processing. I also gave them food,” said Titin, who had taken part in recruiting the prospective migrant workers for the past three years.
The raid by BP2MI in Cirebon was the ninth time in the last six months. Previous ones were conducted in Bekasi, Bogor, Garut, and a number of places in Jakarta, such as Marunda, Sunter, Tanjung Priok and Condet.
"From the raids, we have rescued around 455 prospective workers. Cirebon gets a special attention because this becomes the pocket for the prospective migrant workers," said Benny. According to him, the prospective migrant workers who will be deployed illegally have the potential to become victims of violence to human trafficking. The government also finds it difficult to protect them if they are abroad because they are not detected in the system.
Benny said that illegal recruitment of prospective migrant workers was widespread, even during the Covid-19 pandemic. "This is a dirty business and an international crime. I guarantee that we will take stern action against whoever the government apparatuses who run this business. President Joko Widodo advised me to protect our migrant workers from head to toe,” he said.