Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions will establish a special task force to protect aspiring migrant workers in villages."We will also form a special task force in villages so that there are no fraudsters that take profit from (placing) migrant workers illegally," Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions, Yandri Susanto, said here on Tuesday.
During a coordination meeting on inflation control in regions and strengthening the governance of placement and protection of Indonesian migrant workers, he said that the task force will involve other stakeholders, such as the Ministry of Migrant Worker Protection.
According to the minister, fraudsters who target people living in villages by luring them to work as migrant workers overseas can overall harm the national security system and the integrity of the country's borders.
Such fraudulent migrant worker placement services, he explained, can have serious consequences, including victims facing difficulty obtaining legal immigration status, the risk of being deported, or even, being charged under law.
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In addition to forming a special task force, Yandri said that the ministry will instruct village governments to make regulations related to migrant workers, both regarding their protection and training.
"There is a need for villages that are the main sources of migrant workers to issue regulations that are not discriminatory and do not complicate matters," he added.
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Minister Susanto said that the protection of migrant workers is very important because they have a crucial role in the country.
Migrant workers are not only "foreign exchange heroes," but also strategic sociopolitical forces at home and abroad, he expounded.
