NUNUKAN, Indonesia (UCAN) -- Catholics representing eight dioceses in Indonesia and Malaysia recently agreed to cooperate to better serve Indonesian migrant workers and fight human trafficking.
"We agree to set up pastoral networks among dioceses from where Indonesian migrant workers are sent, dioceses which are transit sites for them, and dioceses in Malaysia which are destinations for them," they said in a statement issued on Aug. 28.
About 300 delegates from these two countries issued their statement in Bahasa Indonesia, Indonesia's national language, at the end of their Aug. 26-28 seminar and workshop titled Human Trafficking: Problem, Challenge and Solution.
The program was held 1,650 kilometers northeast of Jakarta in Nunukan, on Nunukan Island, part of East Kalimantan. The Indonesian province borders Sabah, Malaysia's easternmost state.
The Indonesian bishops' Commission for Justice and Peace and Commission for Pastoral Migrants and Itinerants cooperated with Tanjung Selor diocese's Commission for Pastoral Migrants and Itinerants to hold the gathering.
Participants came from the Indonesian dioceses of Larantuka, Manado, Maumere, Ruteng and Tanjung Selor, and the three Malaysian Church territories that cover Sabah -- Keningau and Sandakan dioceses and Kota Kinabalu archdiocese.
In their statement, delegates agreed to "organize regular meetings for pastoral workers handling issues concerning migrants and itinerants through the coordination of the bishops' commissions."
They also agreed to develop a network "facilitated by the bishops' commissions" among diocesan commissions and Religious congregations serving migrants and human trafficking victims.
Malaysian Good Shepherd Sister Imelda Sikul told UCA News during the meeting that several members of her congregation serve trafficking victims. "But our government does not allow us to help or visit illegal migrants in jail," added the superior of the Good Shepherd Sisters' community house in Sandakan diocese.
Holy Family Father Tarcisius Dwija Iswara, a seminar organizer, told UCA News Nunukan town was chosen as the venue because it is one of the biggest transit points for Indonesians migrating illegally to Malaysia.
In their statement, seminar participants noted that millions of Indonesians become illegal migrants for many reasons, the most common being poverty.
They cited data the local Church compiled on the number of illegal Indonesian migrants who entered Malaysia through Nunukan district in 2007 -- 27,000 from Larantuka diocese, 15,000 from Maumere diocese, 10,000 from Ende archdiocese, and 36,000 from Makassar archdiocese and Manado diocese.
According to the National Board of Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers, 49,569 Indonesians were working legally in both the formal and informal sectors in Malaysia in March.
On the other hand, the number of Indonesians working illegally in Malaysia as of June 2007 was about 1 million, reported the Institute for Migrant Workers, an NGO.
In their statement, workshop participants also urged the Indonesian government to pay more attention to the issue of legal and illegal Indonesian migrant workers, enforce the law consistently to prevent human trafficking, and promote balanced economic development across the country.
They also urged the Indonesian government to work with the Malaysian government, religious organizations and NGOs, and to ensure better coordination among Indonesian government agencies.
Participants also called on the Church and society to work with the government in addressing human trafficking and migrant issues, and to be in solidarity with trafficking victims.
They observed that human trafficking not only offends human dignity but also violates human rights. "It has harmed the dignity of human beings as made in God's image," they asserted.
They concluded their statement by insisting such disregard for human dignity "will not happen" if everyone agrees that "human beings are not commodities but are the children of God and the nation, made in God's image."
During the three-day program, participants heard talks by five people including Indonesian Police Commissioner Sri Astuti and Yoseph Adi Prasetyo, from the Indonesian National Human Rights Commission.
Astuti, a Muslim, spoke about police efforts to eliminate human trafficking in Indonesia, while Prasetyo, a Catholic, highlighted human rights, law and human trafficking in Indonesia.
