Commentary: Brutal Murder of Two Indonesians in Hong Kong Demonstrates Lack of Migrant Workers Protection
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Indonesian migrant workers waiting to get off a Pelni ship in Jakarta. (JG Photo/Yudhi Sukma Wijaya)
Rurik Jutting, a British banker who repeatedly raped, tortured, mutilated and then cut the throats of two Indonesian citizens in Hong Kong was found guilty of murder on Tuesday in a Hong Kong courtroom. Signaling the end of the trial, the presiding judge described the murder trial as "one of the most horrifying ever" in the city.
The Cambridge-educated banker murdered 23-year-old Sumarti Ningsih and 26-year-old Seneng Mujiasih during a drug and alcohol binge that lasted a number of days. During the horrific series of events the killer repeatedly tortured, mutilated and raped his victims before slowly cutting their throats with a serrated knife. The banker recorded the events on his phone which was used as evidence during the trial.
No members of either woman’s family were able to attend the trial as they were unable to afford the costs involved in traveling to Hong Kong.
The women’s impoverished families, in Java and Sulawesi respectively, were denied their rights to be involved in and updated on the judicial proceedings, receiving little support from the Indonesian government.
"We find no support from the government and media in our own country," Ningsih's brother Suyit Khaliman said. "No matter how she had earned money for her family, she deserves justice."
The Indonesian media has been noticeably absent in reporting on the trial. At a time when Jokowi’s bomber jacket has become household gossip and the "cyanide coffee murder" trial has been shown live on television all day, it seems that Indonesia has forgotten the intolerably cruel fate of two of its own citizens.
In the rare circumstances the media has covered the story it is invariably reported that the two women were sex workers. In Indonesian society this inevitably means that these women are stigmatized, blamed as somehow sharing in the responsibility for their fate.
It is a horrifying case but sadly not an isolated one. The International Labour Organization estimates there are around six million Indonesians currently working abroad. The vast majority, around 75 percent, are women. Too many of these women never return home, killed overseas because of inadequate protection from their own government.
Many Indonesian migrant workers, especially low-skilled and poorly-educated women, are subjected to exploitation and multi-layered abuse. Female migrant workers are particularly vulnerable to being victims of international drug syndicates, human trafficking and forced prostitution.
Komnas Perempuan, the Indonesian National Commission for Women, notes that over 209 Indonesian migrant workers are currently on death row abroad and a large percentage of these are women.
In 2015 two Indonesian female domestic workers were beheaded by authorities in Saudi Arabia despite pleas for clemency from the Indonesian government. Their trials were criticized internationally as unjust and their executions as gross violations of human rights.
Mary Jane Veloso and Merry Utami are two women who have been sentenced to death in Indonesia after being caught with narcotics on their person. The similarities in their cases do not end with the similarity of their first names. Both women are former migrant workers, they are the victims of international drug syndicates, they are both the loving mothers of children and, finally, both have been denied a fair trial and could now face execution by firing squad at any time.
Granting clemency for Mary Jane Veloso and Merry Utami would spare their families from experiencing the same heartbreak that the families of the beheaded Indonesian maids continue to experience.
With over 200 Indonesian citizens remaining on death row abroad — the vast majority of them migrant workers — Indonesia must campaign unfalteringly for their clemency and reject completely the execution of its citizens by foreign states.
Abolishing the death penalty in Indonesia will provide a stronger leg to stand on in appealing for clemency for its own citizens. It will also demonstrate to the international community a sincere commitment to upholding and enforcing human rights.
It is clear that major changes need to occur in relation to protection and access to justice for Indonesian migrant workers and their families.
Komnas Perempuan is urging the government to develop more thorough protection mechanisms in countries hosting migrant workers and to provide recovery and support systems for migrant workers and their families who have experienced abuse abroad.
Regional and international cooperation is needed to develop and implement comprehensive protection and prevention systems. These systems are vital to ensure that the ever-expanding group of migrant workers that leave Indonesia’s shores in search of a better life for their families are safe from harm during their time abroad.
Jack Britton volunteers at Komnas Perempuan, the National Commission for Women, in Jakarta. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Komnas Perempuan.
Contact: jackbritton@live.com.au or jackbritton@support.komnasperempuan.go.id
