Jakarta (ANTARA) - Minister of Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (P2MI) Abdul Kadir Karding is reviewing the possibility of re-opening placements of Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) in Middle Eastern countries."We will probably explore it within this month," he said on Tuesday.
He made the statement after a meeting with the Saudi Arabian Minister of Manpower a few days ago. During the meeting, Saudi Arabia asked Indonesia to create a better system to provide better protection and income to migrant workers.
Since many migrant workers are interested in finding work in the Middle East even without official procedures, the ministry is considering reopening worker placements in the region.
"Rather than sending them without official procedure, we might as well accommodate them. It should come with protections in the form of insurance with good coverage, including income," Karding emphasized.
The minister also encouraged data integration with the Saudi Arabian ministry equivalent to a state-owned enterprise to improve bilateral cooperation in terms of Indonesian migrant worker placements to prevent the endangerment of migrant workers.
Baca juga: Menteri P2MI-Bappenas membahas upaya peningkatan pelindungan PMI
"The Arabian company is called Musanet, equivalent to (an) SOE in Indonesia. We only work with government agencies, not companies or people. With state guarantee, we can protect our migrant workers," he informed.
On the same occasion, he urged prospective migrant workers to follow legal procedures to prevent the possibility of exploitation and falling victim to human trafficking.
Baca juga: Menteri P2MI Abdul Kadir Karding nilai wajar penambahan pejabat di Kementeriannya
"I remind all Indonesian people wishing to work abroad to take the procedural track considering that those leaving illegally are vulnerable to becoming victims of human trafficking and exploitation. Migrant workers also often experience material losses," Karding said.
He made the statement after a meeting at the Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Office (BP3MI) in East Jakarta with seven non-procedural migrant worker candidates whose departure was thwarted by Indonesian authorities.
