appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Amy Sood

Indonesia is set to lift a decade-long ban on sending migrant workers to Saudi Arabia, following assurances of enhanced labour protections even as rights groups say critical safeguards and cases of mistreatment remain unaddressed.
A memorandum of understanding to facilitate the legal placement of migrant workers was scheduled to be signed by ministers from Indonesia and Saudi Arabia later this month in Jeddah, said Migrant Workers Protection Minister Abdul Kadir Karding in Jakarta.
“After ensuring that Saudi Arabia’s labour protection system has improved sufficiently, we will reopen the programme,” Karding told reporters last week, noting that the decision to lift the ban followed a meeting between him and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.
The Indonesian government would likely send around 600,000 workers to Saudi Arabia as early as June, Karding said. This would include 400,000 domestic helpers and 200,000 skilled labourers, he added, without specifying what sectors would hire the latter group.
The government was projecting potential foreign exchange earnings of 31 trillion rupiah [US$1.89 billion] a year if 600,000 workers were sent to Saudi Arabia, the minister said.
He added that there was a promise of more improved and advanced protections in place for workers in Saudi Arabia.
There is protection in the context of health, life and employment insurance
Abdul Kadir Karding, Migrant Workers Protection Minister
“There is protection in the context of health, life and employment insurance,” Karding said, adding that there would also be a monthly minimum wage of around 1,500 riyals (US$399) or 6.5 million rupiah – higher than Jakarta’s minimum wage of 5.4 million rupiah.
Indonesia previously imposed a moratorium on labour migration to several Gulf countries in 2015 due to widespread reports of mistreatment, including physical and sexual abuse, wage theft, and exploitative conditions under the kafala system, which ties the legal status of workers to their employers, restricting their ability to leave their jobs or seek legal recourse when faced with abuse.
However, this moratorium has been criticised for its ineffectiveness, as around 25,000 Indonesian workers continued to enter Saudi Arabia through illegal channels each year.
Indonesia’s migrant worker agency received about 186 complaints from workers in Saudi Arabia over the past year, making it one of the top five destinations with the highest number of grievances, its data showed.
Activists say insufficient safeguards remain for migrant workers and that critical issues they face in Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries have yet to be adequately addressed.
Labour rights organisation Migrant Care has reported accounts of undocumented workers experiencing violence and abuse in Saudi Arabia. These cases include physical and sexual violence, unpaid wages, and excessive working hours, according to Nuharsono, a coordinator from Migrant Care.
The moratorium was based on “rampant cases of abuse involving Indonesian migrant workers, the majority of whom are women,” Nuharsono said. “The legal framework in Saudi Arabia often fails to support female migrant workers.”
He added that there were concerns that the government was prioritising the economic benefits of lifting the moratorium over worker protections, which could lead to increased violations against migrants.

Anis Hidayah, Commissioner for Indonesia’s National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas Ham), told This Week in Asia that the government’s decision should be made only after a thorough evaluation of the moratorium’s effectiveness and a clear understanding of worker safety conditions in recent years.
“It is very important for the Indonesian government to make public consultation that includes the migrant workers themselves and civil society organisations to hear about their opinions [on this].
“We don’t want there to be a repeat of the situation of violation of human rights if Indonesia was to resume sending migrant workers [to Saudi Arabia],” she said.
Anis and Nurharsono urged Indonesia and Saudi Arabia to reach a bilateral agreement for more robust and concrete protections for Indonesian workers.
Indonesia initially imposed a ban on sending workers to Saudi Arabia in 2011, which was lifted in 2014. However, the Southeast Asian nation implemented a more comprehensive moratorium in 2015, preventing its domestic helpers from working in 21 countries in the Middle East, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Egypt.
Many Indonesian domestic helpers also earn a living in North Asia and Southeast Asia, including Singapore, Hong Kong, and Malaysia, where there have also been ongoing concerns regarding their working conditions and safety.
Additional reporting by Bloomberg


Named as an enemy: Indonesia’s uneasy Aukus moment

Malaysia deploys air force aircraft for cloud seeding to combat worsening haze

Why the Global South keeps its doors wide open to Russia

Pride or practicality? Indonesia receives first aircraft carrier amid fears of upkeep cost

Indonesia

Indonesia set to allow domestic helpers in Saudi Arabia after 10-year ban

Indonesian migrant workers who were set to be sent to Saudi Arabia being inspected by the police at a shelter in Bekasi, West Java, Indonesia. Photo: EPA

Indonesian migrant workers praying at Victoria Park in Hong Kong. Photo: AFP

This Week in Asia

Economics

News

Asia

Southeast Asia

Jakarta is expected to send 600,000 domestic helpers and skilled labourers to Saudi Arabia, but rights groups are concerned about the move


Jakarta is expected to send 600,000 domestic helpers and skilled labourers to Saudi Arabia, but rights groups are concerned about the move.


Saudi Arabia

Middle East

Human rights

Indonesia set to allow domestic helpers in Saudi Arabia after 10-year ban

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Jakarta is expected to send 600,000 domestic helpers and skilled labourers to Saudi Arabia, but rights groups are concerned about the move

Jakarta is expected to send 600,000 domestic helpers and skilled labourers to Saudi Arabia, but rights groups are concerned about the move