INDONESIA Moves Toward Lifting Saudi Labor Ban Under New Safeguards

Posted by Asia Views | Apr 29, 2025 | 0 |

JakartaGlobe-Apr 29, 2025

A House of Representatives commission has expressed support for the government’s plan to lift the ban on sending Indonesian migrant workers to Saudi Arabia. The ban, enacted in 2015 over concerns about inadequate labor protections and frequent abuse cases, had restricted Indonesian workers from seeking employment in the kingdom. Commission IX, which oversees manpower, healthcare, and social security affairs, urged the government to ensure maximum protection for migrant workers before lifting the moratorium.

The endorsement was conveyed during a hearing between the commission and Migrant Worker Protection Minister Abdul Kadir Karding at the legislature building on Monday. “Commission IX supports lifting the moratorium on the condition that Indonesian migrant workers are assured protection, fair employment contracts, regular evaluations, decent minimum wages and working hours, and the recognition of their rights under Saudi and international law,” said Charles Honoris, deputy chairman of the commission. The commission also called on the government to pursue a bilateral agreement with Saudi Arabia on migrant worker protection and to improve the overall management of labor exports. During the hearing, Minister Karding said the plan to lift the moratorium stemmed from the rising number of Indonesian workers traveling illegally to Saudi Arabia. Each year, around 25,000 Indonesians depart for Saudi Arabia through unofficial channels without government protection, he said. “They aren’t recorded in our data system, meaning the government cannot offer them protection,” Karding said. Government estimates suggest there are currently around 183,000 undocumented Indonesians working in Saudi Arabia. In a previous interview, Karding noted that the Saudi government has made several improvements regarding the treatment of Indonesian workers, including a guaranteed minimum wage of 1,500 riyals ($400) and health, life, and employment insurance coverage. Additionally, the two governments have integrated their data systems to ensure better oversight in the future. Read more at:

https://jakartaglobe.id/business/indonesia-moves-toward-lifting-saudi-labor-ban-under-new-safeguards

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EXTRICATING NDONESIAN CHILDREN FROM ISIS INFLUENCE ABROAD

Indonesia urgently needs to revisit the possibility of repatriating the neediest of its young citizens stranded abroad, whose families had earlier joined ISIS. Most of these children are in camps in northern Syria but there are also small numbers in the Philippines, Afghanistan and Iraq. “Extricating Indonesian Children from ISIS Influence Abroad”, the latest report from the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) argues that the government could begin by bringing back small groups of unaccompanied children under ten years of age, who pose minimal security risk and are most vulnerable to deteriorating conditions in the camps.“The problem is that health and security conditions are worsening by the day in the Syrian camps, and the children are growing older,” says Dyah Kartika, IPAC analyst. “They need access to schools, a nurturing environment, and medical attention. If the government waits too long, the children will be further exposed to ISIS ideology.” The new report examines a 2019 list of Indonesians in camps and prisons run by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The Indonesian government has been trying to verify their citizenship, but with pseudonyms, misspellings and bad transliterations, it is a daunting task. At the time the data was collected, between March and June 2019, there were 555 Indonesians in SDF camps and prisons, including 367 children. Among the children, approximately 277 were under the age of ten and 34 were unaccompanied. In June 2021, there are fewer than ten children who are both unaccompanied and under the age of ten that could be prioritized for return. Bringing back children of ISIS families is no easy task. The report analyses the main challenges faced by the Indonesian government. These include definitional issues, bureaucratic competition, the difficulty of verifying nationality, evaluating the toll of exposure to conflict, assessing security risk, and finding relatives or others willing to provide care once the children are returned. In addition, COVID has meant stringent restrictions on travel, placing further obstacles in the way of repatriation. There are several models for rehabilitation of children exposed to violent extremism in Indonesia that could be modified to accommodate the needs of children repatriated from abroad. The report examines these models and argues that the government does not need to have every detail of rehabilitation programs in place before it starts extricating children from ISIS influence. It can start by bringing back the most vulnerable children and then modify programs as needed.

“It’s important that the government see these children as victims” says Dyah. “They deserve a chance to be children again.”

INDONESIA Moves Toward Lifting Saudi Labor Ban Under New Safeguards

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