Jakarta (ANTARA) - The National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) has called for the draft amendment to Law No. 18 of 2017 on the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (P2MI) to include provisions on expanding cross-border social security coverage for migrant workers.
Chairperson of Komnas Perempuan Maria Ulfah Anshor said during a Public Hearing with the House of Representatives’ Legislative Body (Baleg) on the P2MI bill at the Parliament Complex in Jakarta on Wednesday that the current law does not clearly or comprehensively regulate migrant workers’ rights to sustainable and cross-border social security.
“Komnas Perempuan recommends expanding Social Security Agency for Health (BPJS) coverage for migrant workers to include sustainable cross-border social security, as well as recovery services for victims of violence, including gender-based violence, with a fair, inclusive, and gender-responsive approach,” she said.
At the same event, Deputy Chairperson of Baleg Martin Manurung stated that the revision of the P2MI law aims to strengthen protection for migrant workers, particularly in health insurance.
“The challenge is that many countries do not recognize services such as BPJS Health, which creates obstacles for workers,” he said.
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He added that health issues have become the main focus of Baleg because migrant workers are often disadvantaged when BPJS Health is not accepted in host countries.
“For now, we are focusing on gathering input on the complaints experienced by migrant workers, and later we will discuss them with BPJS,” he said.
Meanwhile, Baleg member Saleh Partaonan Daulay emphasized that although the government has already established a BPJS scheme for migrant workers, it has not yet been effectively applied overseas.
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“The problem is that our BPJS Health does not apply abroad, so improving services such as healthcare must be included in the revised P2MI law to protect Indonesian migrant workers,” he said.
Baleg expressed hope that the amendment of the P2MI law will serve as a momentum to ensure the state provides equal protection for citizens working both domestically and overseas.
