Good News From Malaysia, WNI Workers Rescued By Joint Force From Forced Labor

Malaysian Immigration Department (JIM) (Photo: Agus Setiawan/Antara)

JAKARTA - An Indonesian worker has been rescued from the possibility of becoming a forced laborer after the authorities received a complaint and information from the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia (KBRI) Kuala Lumpur on July 7, 2021. Reported by Antara, Sunday, July 11, Ministry of Human Resources Malaysia in a statement in Kuala Lumpur said, the results of the investigation conducted on 7 and 8 July 2021 have led to the rescue operation on July 9, 2021. "The operation was led by the central Manpower Office (JTK) and JTK Perak in collaboration with the MAPO Task Force and a Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) officer from the Taiping District Police at 06.30am, "he said. The victim was a 36 -year -old woman, brought into Malaysia by an agent who promised that she would be employed as a maid and promised a salary of RM1,000 (about Rp 3.4 million).

The victim has been asked to pay as much as three months salary as an administrative fee to the agent after getting the job. The money has been paid to the agent through deductions from the victim's salary in December 2017, January 2018, and February 2018. "The employer took the opportunity by manipulating the employee who did not have a valid work permit and are categorized as Unauthorized Foreign Workers (PATI), "said the ministry. Employers also made the issue of PATI as a threat to force victims to do various housework with physical and mental stress." Victims have also been beaten by employers using hands if dissatisfied with the work done by the victim, "said the ministry. In addition, the victim is not given food if he expresses the intention to return to his country of origin or does not want to work with the employer again. a situation where the salary money has been handed over to the victim taken again by the employer, "according to a ministry statement. Through preliminary investigations, there are indicators that the victim has been made a forced laborer and the employer is alleged to have committed an offense under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (ATIPSOM) Act 2007. " was rescued still in a state of trauma and is now placed at the Central Zone Shelter after being given an Interim Protection Order (IPO) by the Taiping Magistrate's Court on the same date the victim was rescued, "the ministry said. The statement said that the operation to rescue Indonesian workers was the result of a concerted effort by law enforcement agencies in dealing with the issue of forced labor. The ministry said that the operation also showed that the government would not occasionally compromise on the issue of forced labor. regardless of the nationality of the workers.