"Betel nut" money is the entry point for brokers recruiting illegal migrant workers in NTT
Thousands of migrant workers from NTT were recruited illegally by persuading their families. Some then end up in coffins.
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Aplonia Dhey (38), the wife of an illegal migrant worker victim, Lenesius Soba (44), cried hysterically at the cargo terminal of El Tari Kupang Airport when her husband's body arrived on Saturday (30/12/2023). Throughout 2023, a total of 151 NTT migrant workers died abroad, most of whom were illegal.
Brokers give money ”betel nut”, offering jobs abroad that look very promising. Unfortunately it's all just a hoax. What is happening is exploitation of these illegal migrant workers. Right on Labor Day May 1, this sad and infuriating story is worth listening to to urge again that cases of illegal migrant workers be handled and treated more seriously.
The Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Advocacy Services for Justice and Peace (Padma) Indonesia, Gabriel Goa, stated in Kupang on Tuesday (30/4/2024) that East Nusa Tenggara has entered the category of human trafficking emergency. To this day, there has been no concrete action from the local government to address this issue. Government policies are still limited to appeals during discussions or when asked by the mass media.
The root of the human trafficking criminal activity is poverty. However, the word "poverty" is often ignored by local governments, citing the reason that these regions have tremendous natural resources. In reality, poor people flock to find work abroad or in other provinces through brokers. There are also some who leave alone or with friends.
"Families serve as the entry point for brokers to recruit migrant workers. Armed with offerings of betel nut money ranging from IDR 100,000 to IDR 500,000 per household, brokers successfully persuade family members. They release their children, nephews, grandchildren, and in-laws to the relevant brokers for departure overseas or to other provinces," said Gabriel.
Also read: Trillions of Rupiahs Flow, Poverty in NTT Only Drops Slightly
A family in Umaklaran Village, Belu Regency, NTT, is peeling tamarind skin to be sold. Poor families like this are easily persuaded by illegal migrant worker brokers to send their productive-aged children or family members abroad.
Not only families, village officials such as village heads and heads of neighborhood units also receive a share of the betel nut money. The amount ranges from IDR 500,000 to IDR 1 million per person in order to issue travel permits to illegal migrant workers. The information stated in the letter often indicates that the individual is going abroad to visit family members.
After arriving in the city or district of Kupang, brokers lodge them in a certain location. This location is not easily monitored by security apparatus or local residents. They are then provided with fake identification cards, changing their name, age, and address of domicile.
Data from the NTT Provincial Government shows that throughout 2023, 185 NTT residents will be victims of criminal acts of human trafficking, consisting of 39 women and 146 men. A total of 20 boys are still minors, namely 14-19 years.
The data from the Indonesian Migrant Worker Protection Service Center (BP3MI) in NTT states that from 2017 to 2022, there have been 2,689 Indonesian migrant workers from this province. Out of this number, only 120 workers were officially sent according to procedures. A total of 2,569 people were sent illegally. This data does not include those who were sent or left independently without the knowledge of BP3MI NTT.
Also read: End of Year Elegy, Never-ending Deaths of NTT Migrant Workers
The body of Hore Labora (33), a resident of Laboya Dete Village, Lamboya District, West Sumba Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, arrived at El Tari Kupang Airport on August 23, 2023.
"There are still thousands of illegal migrant workers being sent by brokers or individuals, voluntarily or otherwise. Through brokers, usually from Kupang, they are sent to certain cities, such as Surabaya, Jakarta, Medan, Batam, and Nunukan. These illegal migrant workers are sent overseas, collaborating with brokers from the destination country, namely Malaysia," said Gabriel.
Individual migrant workers usually work together with family members who are already in Malaysia through their mobile phones. Illegal migrant workers in Malaysia transfer a certain amount of money to prospective migrant workers to buy sea tickets. Sometimes, they depart in groups. Usually, it involves one family or a family relationship.
It's no wonder that this province is known as "the coffin death", victims end up in coffins.
The travel route has been arranged in secrecy, from the hometown in East Nusa Tenggara to the destination where illegal migrant workers live and work. Illegal migrant workers abroad also contact brokers who are ready in Nunukan or Batam. Building communication and cooperation with native Malaysian brokers to welcome these illegal migrant workers at the starting point of their arrival in Malaysia through "rat routes". Otherwise, Indonesian brokers themselves establish communication with brokers in Malaysia.
The Chairperson of the Coalition Against Organized Crime and Human Trafficking (The Coalition), who is also the Executive Director of the Women's Working Group, Nukila Evanty, stated that the victims in NTT are mostly impoverished citizens who are recruited by crime syndicate networks under the guise of companies to work overseas without official documentation.
Also read: Strict Regulations are Needed for Ships Carrying Indonesian Migrant Workers Illegally
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Prospective Indonesian migrant workers from East Flores, Karel Mau (62) and his wife Esi Noni (45), accompanied by their eldest son Fery Nando, were among the crowd of other prospective illegal migrant workers who were heading to Malaysia via Nunukan. They boarded the Bukit Siguntang ship that arrived at the Larantuka pier on Monday (11/1/2021).
"In fact, there are many circles of victims. The perpetrators who recruit are still family members, including uncles, aunts and cousins. "They don't realize that they themselves are also victims hired by the syndicate as field recruiters," he said.
The problem of air pollution is not new. The community's condition that is threatened by air pollution has been going on for a long time. There is also an abundance of research evidence indicating the threats posed by the impacts of air pollution. However, the reality is that this has not been able to push for significant efforts in controlling air pollution. As a result, residents are increasingly suffering, living in the midst of air pollution. The criminal syndicate network is so strong with a broken chain model, with different perpetrators during the recruitment and transfer of victims. Furthermore, they already have target victims, which are facilitated by individuals ranging from villages to the provincial level.
According to Gabriel Goa, the number of illegal migrant workers from NTT is smaller than the number of illegal migrant workers recruited from Java or Kalimantan. However, the largest number of victims who experienced a series of torture and died came from NTT. It's no wonder that this province is known as the coffin death, victims end up in coffins.
Also read: Hundreds of Illegal NTT Migrant Workers Die Abroad Every Year
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Putra Ngada stated that their struggle to go abroad is not to become rich, but rather to fulfill daily needs. However, such efforts are rarely fulfilled. Only in the first year did they manage to send a small amount of money to their family members in NTT. In the second and third year, they began to stop and the following news was of death. They returned home in a coffin.
"Handling of this case must be extraordinary in NTT. However, this has not been done and may never happen as long as there is no willingness of all parties to do it sincerely and honestly and are willing to make sacrifices. "Especially in the current political year, people are busier managing elections than illegal migrant workers," said Gabriel.
Head of the Labor and Transmigration Department in NTT, Thomas Suban Hoda, stated that the NTT provincial government's concern for illegal migrant workers is continuously being developed. The provincial government is collaborating with BP3MI NTT, the NTT Regional Police, the Navy, the Air Force, and relevant parties.
For example, the NTT Regional Police have cancelled the departure of 256 NTT residents who fell victim to human trafficking crimes from January to August 2023. 52 recruiters have become suspects and have been processed in court.
Also read: Ignored in a Far Country, NTT Migrant Workers Care When Local Government is Burdened
Two representatives of illegal migrant workers from NTT who work at a palm plantation in East Sarawak, Malaysia, handed over aid for the victims of the Seroja storm disaster to the spokesperson for the Seroja Storm Disaster Handling Task Force, Marius Jelamu, in Kupang on Friday (7/5/2021).
