Govt Should Show Concern For Domestic Workers

Jakarta, Nov 18 (Antara) - The Indonesian government should show genuine concern for the safety of its domestic workers, a researcher affirmed here on Tuesday. "The government must focus on the protection of its citizens working as domestic servants abroad. For Indonesia, the main issue related to modern-day slavery is its labor force that is trapped in domestic slavery, for example, its migrant workers in the Middle East," researcher at Walk Free Foundation Katharine Bryant noted. Indonesia has a highly-mobile migrant workforce, with an estimated 4.3-6 million people already working abroad, according to a 2012 data. Modern-day slavery in Indonesia is characterized by forced labor in domestic work, agriculture, and fishing sectors. "Domestic workers are the most vulnerable to slavery because they currently have no legal protection," said Director of Migrant Care Anis Hidayah. Walk Free Foundation and Migrant Care have suggested that the government must ratify and implement the International Labor Organization Convention concerning Decent Work for Domestic Workers (ILO 189). "I know the previous government had proposed a law that is still pending in Parliament. If the new government can try and pass the law, it will be a very valuable step to end domestic slavery," Bryant noted. The draft law on the protection of domestic workers has been stuck in Parliament since 2012. According to the second annual Global Slavery Index (GSI), which was published by anti-slavery campaign group Walk Free Foundation, 35.8 million people are subject to modern-day slavery in 167 countries across the world. The index also estimates that 714,100 adults and children are trapped in modern-day slavery in Indonesia, the second largest in South Asia Pacific, after China, in terms of absolute number.