Jakarta – An increasing number of Indonesian migrant workers find themselves in grim circumstances these days due to unjust salary reductions, along with the threat of rape, repatriation, torture or even death sentence.

In relation to May Day 2001, Defender Consortium of Indonesian Migrant Workers (Kopbumi) released data revealing the extent of their problems. Of the total 4 million Indonesian migrant workers prevailing in many countries in the world, only 400 of them established Indonesian Migrant Workers Union, which is officially registered in Hong Kong.

Kopbumi chairman, Wahyu Susilo, also pointed out here yesterday, that from January until April 2001, there has been violation of human rights over 1,714,522 migrant workers in several countries.

Aside from torture and sexual harassment especially for women, 10 died this year and one faced a death sentence; around 69 were raped by their employers, while 4,500 were forced to flee their bosses due to inhuman treatment. He also added that almost 13,000 workers were neglected by companies that have sent them abroad.

Around 24,008 are considered missing because there was no contact established with their families in Indonesia, and the families can not trace their presence in the countries were they work today.

In Malaysia today, there are around 1.5 million workers who are highly susceptible to deportation because they either have no passport/visas or working permits. More than 14,000 of them are now in Malaysian jails while 120,000 have been repatriated by force. Around 32,000 workers suffer from mass dismissal without clear reasons.

In Taiwan, migrant workers who worked there for three year-period did not received salary payments of up to 14 months. It is said that the fund is used to pay their transport to the destination country and for tax, but of course there are no official reports about it.

Four main points International Labor Organization (ILO), in commemoration of May Day 2001, has released four main points, which are necessarily important to improve working condition of workers.

First, they should have rights to establish unions/organizations. Second, there must be no force on people to do certain jobs. Third, slavery of children must be eradicated. And the last, migrant workers should have better protection for example anti-discrimination protection.

Indonesia, though has ratified ILO Convention related to freedom of establishing unions/organizations, has no initiative to reinforce workers or to facilitate them in establishing unions in foreign countries.

Paradox Migrant workers contribute big funds for the state, amounting to almost Rp20 trillion per annum but so far there is no significant efforts to improve their condition.

Ages of the workers below 15 are manipulated by companies sending them abroad, and such an illegal recruitment in West, Central and East Java, West and East Nusa Tenggara could be likened the slave trading.

Brokers are roaming every where in the rural areas promising the people that they can get very high salaries in foreign countries and that they can be rich within a couple of years, without informing them about the cultural problems they could face.

Following such problems, Kopbumi calls for the government to issue a special law protecting the migrant workers; to help workers establish their unions; to implement the ratification of UN Convention and to make bilateral agreements with every country in the world, where Indonesian migrants work, in order that those governments offer better protection to Indonesian workers.