JAKARTA - On the occasion of World Migrants Day, the Indonesian Madani Justice Integrity Foundation (IJMI) officially signed a cooperation agreement with the Directorate General of Human Rights Instruments and Strengthening - Ministry of Human Rights of the Republic of Indonesia (KemenHAM). This signing is a strategic step in strengthening the protection of Indonesian workers' rights both at home and abroad.
The Cooperation Agreement was signed by Try Harysantoso, Executive Director, IJMI Foundation and Dr. Harniati, Acting Director General of Human Rights Instruments and Strengthening. This cooperation includes the development of anti-human trafficking policies, strengthening awareness of human rights at the village level, and business and human rights promotion. From the Ministry of Human Rights, the signing of the Cooperation Agreement was witnessed by Sofia Alatas, Director of Human Rights Instrument Drafting and Evaluation, and Martinus Gabriel Goa, Human Rights Expert for International Human Rights Instruments.
"In conjunction with World Migrants Day, this signing is expected to be a milestone in strengthening collaboration between the state and society, in ensuring increasingly systematic, measurable, and effective human rights protection. Through this synergy, we give high appreciation to the Ministry of Human Rights for its commitment to fulfilling, protecting, and respecting the rights of migrant workers," said Try Harysantoso, Executive Director, IJMI Foundation, in his statement, Saturday 20 December.
"The process of enforcing human rights means ensuring that migrant workers are safe and respecting their dignity," said Sofia Alatas, Director of Human Rights Instrument Drafting and Evaluation.
"The state needs to strengthen the system and cross-sector cooperation so that protection is not only a policy, but is felt. Through cooperation with the IJMI Foundation, we hope to strengthen prevention, handling, and recovery for migrant workers, especially those in vulnerable situations," he explained.
"The realization of this cooperation is mainly in the implementation of the development of anti-human trafficking policy to become a proposed law on human trafficking (TPPO)," said Martinus Gabriel Goa, Human Rights Expert for the Ministry of Human Rights for International Human Rights Instruments.
"Together we will also provide technical assistance for the implementation of the human rights awareness village program, and in terms of business and human rights development, there will be the preparation of guidelines, capacity building, and comparative studies related to business and human rights," he said.
Indonesia alone has 16.5 million people living in poverty from forced labor and modern slavery.
"Through this Cooperation Agreement, both parties agree to increase coordination, legal socialization programs, and assistance mechanisms for migrant workers who face legal and administrative problems. This joint initiative is expected to expand the scope of protection, increase public awareness, and encourage policy reforms that are in the interests of migrant workers.
"Protection of migrant workers is not only given to those who leave officially (procedural), but also to migrant workers who leave without documents or not through official channels (unprocedural)," said Try.
"The government has also made efforts to strengthen the capacity of the Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMI) to be able to work in a safe and healthy environment, including by providing training and education, as well as providing assistance in the form of health insurance," he said. "Pemerintah juga telah berupaya untuk memperkuat kapasitas Pekerja Migran Indonesia (PMI) agar dapat bekerja dalam lingkungan yang aman dan sehat, termasuk dengan memberikan pelatihan dan pendidikan, serta memberikan bantuan berupa asuransi kesehatan," katanya.
While globally, the number of migrant workers is also increasing, driven by economic needs, wage differences, and job opportunities abroad. However, unstable economic conditions in destination countries can narrow employment opportunities for migrants.
"The increase in the number of migrant workers is in line with the increasing risk of human trafficking, which can be seen from the surge in cases of TPPO in early 2025 with the number of victims already exceeding half of the total victims throughout the previous year. In the period January-March 2025, the National Police handled 609 cases with 1,503 victims - a figure that has exceeded half of the total number of victims throughout 2024, namely 2,179 victims from 843 cases with 1,090 suspects.
The signing ceremony was also attended by representatives of the TPPO community network. Their presence shows broad support for efforts to strengthen the protection ecosystem for Indonesian migrant workers.
"With the signing of this Cooperation Agreement, the IJMI Foundation confirms its commitment to collaborate with the Directorate General of Instruments and Strengthening Human Rights - Ministry of Human Rights of the Republic of Indonesia (KemenHAM), as well as inviting other cross-sectors, to build a more robust, inclusive, and human-based migrant protection system," concluded Try.
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