Protesters are demanding better treatment of Indonesian migrant workers in the wake of several cases of tragic deaths in Malaysia. Dozens gathered outside the Malaysian embassy in Jakarta on Wednesday (August 22) to protest against the maltreatment of Indonesian migrant workers. The march, led by a local NGO, is meant to draw public attention to the plight of Indonesian migrant workers. They said that in July, there were 15 cases of Indonesian migrant workers killed in their workplaces in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. In April, the public got a harrowing glimpse into the treatment of some domestic workers in Malysia when newspapers reported the death in April of an Indian migrant worker after eight months of being beaten, chained up and starved by his employers in a sauce business. Protesters on Wednesday were urging the Malaysian government to take action against abusive employers. "We want a law enforcement fully respective of human rights as a civilized nation," said protester Haris Aritonang. Malaysia says about 1,200 maids flee from the homes of their Malaysian employers each month, but it does not want to legislate on working conditions though the migrants usually work long hours for low pay. "We know about pimps in Indonesia taking orders from Malaysian bosses. Same situation in North Sumatra and Batam, everyone takes order from Malaysian bosses," said Aritonang. Human rights group have long urged Malaysia to plug loopholes in labour and immigration laws that expose migrant workers to the risk of abuse and exploitation by employers and recruiters. Indonesian domestic workers in Malaysia often work a gruelling 16 to 18 hours a day, seven days a week, and earn less than 25 U.S. cents an hour, U.S. group Human Rights Watch has said. Indonesians account for 340,000 of the country's 380,000 foreign maids, with Filipinas, Thais, Vietnamese, Cambodians, Indians and Sri Lankans making up the rest.
ITN Source | August 22, 2007
