Jakarta – A legal aid foundation has accused the government of ignoring migrant workers by not ratifying the United Nations (UN) Convention on the protection of migrant workers, a convention issued 19 years ago.

Restaria Hutabarat of the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation blamed President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY)'s administration for the recent torture of Indonesian migrant workers abroad, saying SBY and Vice President Jusuf Kalla were too busy with their campaigns for the July 8 presidential election.

Siti Hadjar, an Indonesian female migrant worker who recently suffered at the hands of her employer in Malaysia, was an example of the government's ignorance on migrant workers' protection, she said.

"The government is always too late taking action. We have had so many similar cases in the past, such as that of Nirmala Bonat, but the government seems to have learned no lessons from them, as other migrant worker abuses keep happening," she said.

The Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation demanded the government not just take action after abuse had happened, but also ratify the 1990 UN Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.

"By ratifying it, Indonesia will be in a better bargaining position to protect our workers abroad," Restaria said. (bbs)