ASEAN Summit 2023 is a First Step to Provide Protection for migrant Workers

VIVA English – The Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Agency (BP2MI) states that the ASEAN Declaration produced at the ASEAN Summit 2023 is a first step towards building a commitment to providing protection for migrant workers.

"The ASEAN Declaration on protecting migrant workers is a starting point in building the commitment of ASEAN member states to not granting permission to any foreign nationals working informally," said Benny Rhamdani, Head of BP2MI, during FMB9 online event held in Jakarta on Monday.

Benny expressed BP2MI's support for the ASEAN Declaration, which aims to protect migrant workers. In Indonesia, there is already legislation in place, namely Law No. 18 of 2017, which regulates administrative and technical protection in Article 8, Paragraph 1.

The article clearly states that every migrant worker officially employed in destination countries must comply with the requirements of the applicable laws in Indonesia.

"So, it's not just about them undergoing education and training, not just about their competence being proven by certificates, but they must possess all the necessary official documents, and importantly, migrant workers must use work visas," he said.

However, Benny mentioned that currently, workers who fall victim to human trafficking are often categorized as highly educated, such as the case of workers who went to Cambodia and Myanmar with bachelor's and associate's degrees.

He mentioned that out of the 12 documents produced at the ASEAN Summit 2023, three of them discuss migrant workers. These documents can prevent the informal departure of Indonesian migrant workers and deter them from falling prey to promises of quick employment with high salaries.

The three declaration documents are the ASEAN Leaders' Declaration on technology-facilitated trafficking in persons, the ASEAN Declaration on the protection of migrant workers and their families in crisis situations, and the ASEAN Declaration on the placement and protection of migrant fishermen.

Benny hopes that the agreements and ASEAN Declaration will strengthen the spirit and commitment of ASEAN member states to firmly state that they will not grant permission for any foreign nationals to work in their countries informally.

He also emphasized that the Indonesian government can utilize this opportunity to disseminate education on proper work procedures according to the country's regulations to all layers of society.

"There is no negotiation or compromise regarding the crime of human trafficking, which can be categorized as a crime against humanity," said Benny.