(Joint Press Release) -- In commemoration of International Migrants Day which falls on 18 December 2023, the Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Agency (BP2MI) with the support from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), organized an event at the Indoor Tennis Court Senayan, Jakarta. This event was attended by more than 5000 Indonesian migrant workers and their families.

The aim of this event was to enhance collaboration among government agencies and various stakeholders to champion the rights of migrant workers and shield them from discrimination and exploitation abroad. “BP2MI is optimistic that collaborative efforts from relevant stakeholder would expedite initiatives to empower and improve welfare of Migrant Workers Indonesia and its families. Through this event we invite all stakeholders and public to take side with the migrant workers,” said Benny Rhamdani, Head of BP2MI.

Indonesia stands as one of the world’s largest countries of origin for migrant workers. According to the latest data from BP2MI in 2022, Malaysia continues to be the predominant destination for Indonesian migrant workers abroad. According to BP2MI placement data from November 2023, over 60,000 Indonesian Migrant Workers are employed in various sectors in Malaysia, including domestic, plantation, construction, and manufacturing. Despite this significant presence, migrant workers frequently face workplace mistreatment, exploitation and stigma and discrimination. Furthermore, when migrating to other countries for employment, they often find themselves in temporary contracts, heightening the risk of   job insecurity, layoffs, and poor working conditions.

“Six years since the adoption of the Law on the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers, the Law No.18 Year 2017, IOM has continued leveraging our expertise to support the Government of Indonesia’s in fostering the synergies between labour migration and development, and in promoting regular avenues of labour migration.

In this respect, we commend the strong commitment of BP2MI as one of the leading agencies to continuously improve the protection of Indonesian migrant workers, through the development of policies and programmes that provide effective protection and assistance to labour migrants and their families,” said Jeffrey Labovitz, Chief of Mission IOM Indonesia, during his opening remarks.

During this event, BP2MI introduced the newly developed Pre-Departure Orientation developed by IOM and International Labour Organization (ILO) with the support of Consumer Goods Forum (CGF). This module was developed to provide information to migrant workers on their rights, working and living conditions abroad, as well as access to support and to grievance mechanism should they require so. This module was specifically design for migrant workers intending to migrate to Malaysia specifically for employment in the palm oil sector.

The celebration event this year was also attended by Vice President of Indonesia, His Excellency Mr. Ma’ruf Amin who highlighted the importance of pre-departure process. “It is a government’s obligation to equip migrant workers with technical and language skills, so they can seize many opportunities abroad. Pre-departure orientation is important not only to prepare skilled workers, but also to prevent them from falling victim to trafficking in person.  On this occasion, I invited all relevant stakeholders to combat trafficking in persons together and improve the protection and service for Indonesia Migrant Workers.”

On this International Migrants Day, IOM focused on unlocking the power of migration as one of the solutions to global challenges, including providing better economic opportunities for communities. IOM highlighted that everyone can be part of the solution and the collective action today will prepare for a better tomorrow. Let’s act!

For more information regarding this event please contact:

BP2MI: BP2MI: Shesta Dwityana, Junior Public Relations Officer, E-mail: shesta.dwityana@bp2mi.go.id

phone +63812-8612-7914

IOM: Ayunda Pratama, National Media and Communications Officer, Email: apratama@iom.int

phone +62811-1219-913

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