The Family Of The Suspected Sri Erni Died In Syria As A Result Of Being Persecuted By A Employer

SUKABUMI - The family suspects that the death of Sri Erni Juniarti (40), a resident of Cimaja Village, Sukabumi Regency, West Java, died in Syria due to physical abuse or abuse by her employer.

"Before it was reported that he died by officers from the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia (KBRI) Damascus, Syria, Sri had called me and admitted that she had been tortured by her employer," said the victim's nephew, Bambang Permadi in Sukabumi, Saturday.

On Saturday (14/9) night Indonesian time, he admitted that he was called by Sri and told that his condition at that time admitted that he had just been tortured by his employer, where due to a small mistake made by Sri, his employer hit the head of this foreign exchange hero using pots to bleeding.

Even worse, with the condition of the head that suffered open injuries and bleeding, Sri admitted that she was not taken for treatment and was forced to continue working. Because she was afraid of experiencing violence again, Sri was forced to obey her employer's orders even though her health continued to decline.

Allegedly, Sri is often tortured by her employer, it's just that she never told about her life's worries while wandering in Syria for fear of her family, especially her husband and three children in her hometown, being worried.

"It turned out that Saturday night was the last day we chatted and finally heard his voice. Five days later, on Thursday (19/9) we received information from Embassy officers in Damascus that Sri died in a work accident," he added.

Bambang said the Indonesian Embassy officer who provided information said that Sri's death was due to falling from the stairs and her head was seriously injured and even bleeding in the brain.

The family believes that Sri died not because of an accident. The wound was open and the bleeding of the brain in his head was not due to being hit by a ladder, but because Sri's head was hit by a pot by his employer. Therefore, the family asked for justice or immediately returned Sri's body to her hometown so that it could be buried.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the Sukabumi Indonesian Migrant Workers Union (SBMI), Jejen Nurjanah, said that he had just received information about this case, because the victim's family had not reported it to SBMI.

However, his party will continue to provide assistance, especially in an effort to speed up the repatriation of the bodies of the migrant workers. In addition, SBMI began to coordinate with relevant agencies such as the Sukabumi Regency Government, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Indonesian Embassy in Damascus.

As is known, Sri left for Syria in 2022 and only said goodbye to her husband and mother. This migrant worker only reported her condition to the family in her village after eight months of working in Syria and reportedly died on Thursday (19/9).

Before becoming a migrant worker in Syria, Sri had worked in Saudi Arabia for two years, allegedly from 2010-2012. After the contract was expired, she returned to Sukabumi and then in 2013 she worked as a factory worker for six years and had to be fired in 2019 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.