BP2MI Proposes Immigration To Withdraw Passports Of TIP Victims To Prevent Illegal Departures Later

Illustration of human trafficking aka criminal acts of trafficking in person (TPPO). (Lamuk_lamuk-Pixabay)

The Indonesian Migrant Worker Protection Agency (BP2MI) proposes a prohibition abroad at a certain time for victims of the crime of trafficking in persons (TPPO).

"Those who have the authority to secure passports are the Directorate General (Ditjen) of Immigration, at one meeting the Head of BP2MI has submitted the proposal," said BP2MI Main Secretary, Rinardi at a TIP press conference in Jakarta, Thursday, June 15, quoted by Antara.

He said the proposed ban was due to BP2MI several times finding the same TIP victims in non-procedural or illegal prevention or raids on Indonesian migrant workers (PMI).

"As long as there is no banned passport for the victim, he will be able to leave at any time, because the dealers have money, as long as they have money they will always finance syndicates or brokers to work in all villages," he said.

According to him, if the passports of the TIP victims are prohibited, it is possible for them to use or create a new passport.

"Creating a passport based on a Population Identification Number (NIK) and a Family Card (KK), we propose it in banned 5 years or up to 10 years," he said.

In addition, Rinardi added that BP2MI has also proposed that people traveling abroad use tourist passports and visas, especially Indonesian migrant workers destination countries, such as Malaysia and Saudi Arabia, must already have a return ticket.

"They must have a PP ticket, if they don't have a ticket to go home, they must prevent it, now it's running," he said.

Prior to, Director General of Immigration Silmy Karim said that as a form of commitment to preventing TIP, his party had postponed the departure of 10,138 Indonesian citizens (WNI) throughout 2023 because it was suspected that they would work abroad without valid documents.

This amount includes delays at Immigration Checkpoints (TPI) throughout Indonesia, either at international airports, ports between countries, or cross-border posts.

He said that migrant workers are the most vulnerable professions to being the object of trafficking in persons.

Silmy explained that illegal PMIs made their bargaining positions weak, and accepted cruel treatment.