Promised To Work In European Union Countries To The Tourism Sector But Ended Badly, 69 Indonesian Citizens Were Repatriated From Turkey

Illustration of Indonesian migrant workers. (ANTARA Photo/Agus Setiawan)

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs together with the Indonesian Embassy in Ankara, the Indonesian Consulate General in Istanbul and the Turkish authorities succeeded in repatriating 69 Indonesian migrant workers, as well as dozens of others who are still waiting, after previously experiencing work placements that were not as promised.

The Director of Protection for Indonesian Citizens at the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Judha Nugra, said a total of 85 related cases were handled and handled by the Indonesian Embassy in Ankara and the Indonesian Consulate General in Istanbul.

"Of the 85, 69 people we return to Indonesia, while the other 16 are still waiting for the return process," said Judha in a virtual press statement Thursday, April 28.

He further explained that there were three modes used by the perpetrators in this incident. First, Indonesian migrant workers work as domestic workers for residents of the Middle East, then they experience exploitation of working hours so that salaries are not paid.

"The second mode is the promise of working in a European Union country, with Turkey as a transit country. However, because they cannot apply for a visa to enter the European Union, because the visa must be processed in their country of origin, they are neglected and work odd jobs," he explained.

"For European Union countries that are usually promised transit in Turkey are the Netherlands and Poland," he continued.

As for the third mode, Indonesian migrant workers are promised to work in the tourism sector with high salaries. In reality, they work in factories with substandard salaries.

"The big three areas of origin for migrant workers in this case are from Bali, Lampung and Banyuwangi, as well as a number of other areas," said Judha.

"For the handling, we are coordinating with the Turkish side, the Criminal Investigation Police and the Bali Police," he said.

Reflecting on a similar case experienced by Indonesian migrant workers, Judha appealed to the public to be careful of offers to work abroad, especially through social media, always checking with the relevant agencies whether the offer was correct or not.

"Make sure to go according to the procedure, Law No. 18 of 2017, a registered agent, brings a visa from the destination country with a work visa and reports yourself to the Indonesian representative," he concluded.