Abuse of The Indonesian Migrant Worker

I often heard the tragic story of the Indonesian female migrant worker who worked overseas. Not only Indonesia, there are also many migrant worker from the other developing country. In Indonesia, female manpower that was sent to overseas was known as TKW (abbreviation of Tenaga Kerja Wanita). However the term of TKW was often connoted with the servant or maid or the blue-collar worker.

Apparently they were in the weak position, perhaps because of a woman, many tragic and sad incidents that were experienced by them, that is:

• Salary was reduced and even not be paid by their employer.
• Illegal levy by the person who was not responsible or tricked by the illegal TKW agency.
• Receive the salary that below the standard payment in the country where they worked.
• Sexual insulting even get raped until pregnant.
• Tortured, even there are those that became paralyzed or dead, etc.

Everyone certainly wishing a better job. Then why they're willing to become TKW or the blue-collar worker? Some factors that became the cause were:

• Low education.
• Did not have special skills.
• Narrow employment opportunities for them.
• The burden of the family's cost.
• Interested to the lure of higher salary that was offered.

Beside their tragic story, there is also many success stories and praise for them, that is:

• They are known as the "hero" of foreign exchange, because of the number of funds that was sent by them to Indonesia has achieved 14 digits for a year.
• Many of them could buy a house or car, improve their family's welfare and makes the neighbors jealous. It's more to the matter of social status in their village.
• There were who get the good job in comfortable place because their kind-hearted boss provide facilities, like a condominium with swimming pool and fitness center, good food, health care, high salary, etc.
• Every month they could send money to family, for the cost of the child's school, buy new clothes, ate good foods, etc.

The effect for the family whose mother became a TKW overseas was :

1. Their children quite few to get mother's affection.
2. The phenomenon of their husband tend to do affair because of being left by their wife for long time.

My view towards the TKW problem was as follows:

1. We must improve the quality of education so that they become skilled worker and got the more better job.
2. Improve the system and mechanism of sending workers abroad.
3. Illegal TKW agency must be closed and the owner must be caught and thrown to the court.
4. They're not a robot, they're human who also have dignity.
5. They (TKW) do the fighting for their family's life, for the future of their children. So... I says they are (TKW) much valuable than scholar people who just unemployed, lazy and do nothing.

Related post : Night Worker Ladies between Pity and Cost of Living
Other source : BBC Indonesia / Migrant Care / Wikipedia.