Red Tape Encumbers Families of Indonesian Migrant Workers: CIPS Study
Jakarta. A study by an Indonesian non-profit policy center is urging the government to simplify the procedure for Indonesian migrant workers to go abroad after it was discovered that massive red tape only lead to troubles for the workers and potential income loss for their villages.
The Center for Indonesian Policy Studies [CIPS] revealed a study on Thursday titled "Reducing Financial Burdens of Indonesian Migrant Workers," written by CIPS board member Arianto A. Patunru and Rofi Uddarojat, policy researcher.
The study found that 400,000 Indonesians had left their villages in 2014 to work abroad.
That same year, migrant workers (TKI) sent some $8 billion in funds to their respective families and to aid the development of their villages. The cash was used for education, housing, consumption and starting small businesses, the study found.
The amount is significantly higher than Indonesia's foreign direct investment (FDI) and overseas development assistance (ODA).
According to data from Indonesia's central bank, remittances from migrant workers grew 15.5 percent to $3.12 billion in this year's January-April period, compared to $2.63 billion in the same period last year.
The funds came from 1.5 million migrant workers in the formal sector and 2.2 million workers in the non formal sector.
World Bank estimated that remittances sent by migrant workers reduced Indonesia's poverty race to 26.7 percent through 2000 to 2007. However, the regulations set by the government ̶ initially meant to protect the workers ̶ have negative consequences and implementations.
"Government procedures for the recruitment and protection of migrant workers could take up to four months. The lengthy duration causes substantial income losses," the study said.
Rofi said that the government needs to recognize the financial contributions of migrant workers to equitable economic growth and village prosperity.
"Their remittances provide opportunities for the education of children and the development of local businesses," he said in a statement.
According to Rofi, complex and lengthy bureaucratic procedures place an excessive burden on poor and unskilled workers.
"The [procedures] also make them vulnerable to the exploitative practices of recruitment brokers and agents," he said.
The study revealed that the procedures include hefty charges of up to $600, indirectly borne by the workers themselves.
According to the study, bureaucratic obstacles do not protect migrant workers. In fact, from 2011 to 2013, only 0.5 percent of Indonesian migrant workers reported physical violence or sexual abuse abroad. Therefore, the government's unnecessary procedures would only create challenges for these workers.
The study urged the government to cancel the moratorium on sending workers to 21 countries in the Middle East which was issued in May.
"This policy will lead to annual losses of $3 billion in income for rural areas and it will encourage illegal migration," the study revealed.
CIPS' study also called on the state to drop the requirement of submitting a permission letter by heads of the migrants' households as all the migrants are adults and there has been no proof to support that these letters help reduce human trafficking.
CIPS has also asked state-run health care centers [Puskesmas] to conduct health checks for migrant workers to simplify the mandatory procedure.
The study also urged the government to cut mandatory training for the workers to four weeks.
GlobeAsia
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