Komnas HAM: There Is A Phenomenon Of Forced Labor In Human Cages Of Langkat Regent, Residents Work But Not Get Paid

The cage at the Langkat Regent's house is deactivated Published the Wind War Plan / PHOTO VIA ANTARA

JAKARTA - The National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) said that the occupants of the human cage at the house of the Langkat Regent, who was not active in the Publishing of the Wind War Plan, were subjected to acts similar to slavery. They are forced to work but do not get paid.

Komnas HAM commissioner Choirul Anam even said that the residents were also sanctioned when they did not want to work or were lazy to do their work.

"We found that the first forced labor phenomenon is related to wages. So people who work are not paid," said Anam in a video description uploaded to the Indonesian National Human Rights Commission's YouTube, Saturday, March 5.

"If we say this is part of strengthening skills, debriefing, and so on, in our opinion, the phenomena we found are not solely like that. If they do not work, they will be punished, if they do their work lazily, they will also get sanctions," he added.

Not only that, Komnas HAM also found a practice similar to slavery, where the occupants did not have independence for themselves and there was control from a stronger party.

"This is what happens in the human cage. If he does not do anything according to orders, they are beaten, they are subjected to cruel and degrading treatment," said Anam.

Anam said there were actually residents who tried to run away because they couldn't stand the torture or the work they were given. However, they were searched for and forced to re-enter the human cage and were tortured more severely than before.

"Indeed, they also ran, ran away because their condition was not strong, they were still being sought and forced to be put in again, even after running they were beaten, getting harder," he said.

These various actions, said Anam, are certainly not in accordance with the Conventions of the International Labor Organization. This convention has regulated the issue of forced labor and other rules that are not appropriate in the labor sector.

So, this must be a concern for all parties, one of which is the corporate sector. "We recommend to the business community that similar practices that occurred in Langkat do not happen anywhere else," said Anam.

"We suggest and recommend to the corporate community to carry out continuous monitoring and evaluation on a regular basis, whether there are practices that occur in Langkat in their companies. If this happens, fix it immediately so it doesn't have a much greater business risk," he concluded.