Indonesian migrant workers in the framework of legal protection and business existence

Maulana Ibrahim; Reja Dalimunthe; Poppy Wulandari

doi:10.55942/pssj.v5i7.376

Authors

Maulana Ibrahim Universitas Negeri Medan https://orcid.org/0009-0001-9851-5250
Reja Dalimunthe Philippine Christian University https://orcid.org/0009-0009-5000-998X
Poppy Wulandari Politeknik Negeri Medan https://orcid.org/0009-0009-8415-9804

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55942/pssj.v5i7.376

Keywords:

Indonesian Migrant Workers, diaspora, human rights, protection, illegal agents

Abstract

This study discusses legal protection for Indonesian migrant workers in the dynamics of the diaspora and public policy challenges. Indonesian Migrant Workers play an important role as contributors to the country’s foreign exchange, but still face various problems such as human rights violations, violence, exploitation, and weak legal protection in the destination country. This study uses a descriptive qualitative approach with a juridical-sociological method through in-depth interviews and participatory observation of Indonesian migrant workers and secondary data analysis from official government documents and international reports. The results of the study show a significant gap between the protection policies that have been set by the government and the reality of their implementation in the field. The main problems include the rampant non-procedural placement by illegal agents, low digital literacy of Indonesian migrant workers regarding the government’s online reporting system, and limited coordination between related institutions. This study highlights the importance of cross-sector collaboration, both state and private, and the use of information technology to strengthen complaint mechanisms and the supervision of migrant worker placement in a transparent and accountable manner.

Author Biographies

Maulana Ibrahim, Universitas Negeri Medan

Maulana Ibrahim pursued his undergraduate education at the State Islamic University of North Sumatra, majoring in Civil Law, and his graduate education at the University of North Sumatra, specializing in Business Law. He is currently serving as a Lecturer in the Department of Business Law, State University of Medan.

Reja Dalimunthe, Philippine Christian University

Reja completed both his undergraduate and master's education at Philippine Christian University in Manila, Philippines, graduating with Cum Laude honors in both fields of study. He is currently serving as an Expert Staff Member of Commission I at the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) while pursuing a Ph.D. in Development Administration, majoring in Public Governance, at Philippine Christian University, Manila. Previously, Reja worked as a reporter for Metro TV, Trans 7, and as a freelance journalist for NET. In 2018, he received a scholarship to study digital journalism at the Baltic Film, Media and Arts School in Estonia. Reja has contributed numerous written works to various media outlets, including indozone.id. He is also an adjunct lecturer in the fields of communication and governance.

Poppy Wulandari, Politeknik Negeri Medan

Poppy Wulandari is a lecturer at the State Polytechnic of Medan and an online tutor at the Universitas Terbuka. Poppy is an alumna of Economic Education-State University of Medan in 2017 and Master of Business Administration in International Business-National Dong Hwa University Taiwan in 2020.

References

Process and Vulnerability to COVID‐19. Journal of Environmental and Public Health, 2022(1), 2563684. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/2563684 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/2563684

Ardyawin, I. (2024). The Role Of Information Literacy In Enhancing Students’ Critical Thingking Skills. 4(3). https://doi.org/10.52423/jlpi.v4i3.15 DOI: https://doi.org/10.52423/jlpi.v4i3.15

Arisman, A., & Jaya, R. K. (2020). Labour migration in ASEAN: Indonesian migrant workers in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Asian Education and Development Studies, 10(1), 27–39. https://doi.org/10.1108/AEDS-02-2019-0034 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/AEDS-02-2019-0034

Badan Pelindungan Pekerja Migran Indonesia. (2022). Analisis Data Analisis Tren Data Pelindungan PMI. Publikasi Kajian dan Analisis Data BP2MI. https://kajian.bp2mi.go.id/2022/11/analisis-tren-data-pelindungan-pmi.html

Baser, B., & Swain, A. (2009). Diaspora Design Versus Homeland Realities: Case Study Of Armenian Diaspora. 3. https://cadmus.eui.eu/handle/1814/10967

Bhandari, N. B. (2021). Diaspora and Cultural Identity: A Conceptual Review. Journal of Political Science, 21, 100–108. https://doi.org/10.3126/jps.v21i0.35268 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3126/jps.v21i0.35268

Dharossa, T., & Rezasyah, T. (2020). Upaya Perlindungan WNI oleh Pemerintah Indonesia melalui Pendekatan Diplomasi Digital (2014-2019) [Efforts to Protect Indonesian Citizens through Digital Diplomacy Approach (2014-2019)]. Padjadjaran Journal of International Relations, 2(1), 105. https://doi.org/10.24198/padjir.v2i1.26055 DOI: https://doi.org/10.24198/padjir.v2i1.26055

Drexler, A., Fischer, G., & Schoar, A. (2014). Keeping It Simple: Financial Literacy and Rules of Thumb. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 6(2), 1–31. https://doi.org/10.1257/app.6.2.1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1257/app.6.2.1

Hartono, D., & Samsuria, I. K. (2021). Legal Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers: International Law, National Regulations and Contemporary Problems. International Journal of Criminology and Sociology, 10, 859–865. https://doi.org/10.6000/1929-4409.2021.10.101 DOI: https://doi.org/10.6000/1929-4409.2021.10.101

Hermansson, L., Lundberg, A., Gruber, S., Jolly, A., Lind, J., Righard, E., & Scott, H. (2022). Firewalls: A necessary tool to enable social rights for undocumented migrants in social work. International Social Work, 65(4), 678–692. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020872820924454 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0020872820924454

International Labour Organization. (2021). World Social Protection Report 2020-22: Social protection at the crossroads – in pursuit of a better future. International Labour Organization (ILO). https://www.ilo.org/publications/flagship-reports/world-social-protection-report-2020-22-social-protection-crossroads-pursuit

Laçin, D. Z. A. (2019). Conceptual Study of International Migration and Diaspora. © 2019 |Published by Scholars Middle East Publishers, Dubai, United Arab Emirates 131 Scholars International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice. https://doi.org/ 10.21276/sijlcj.2019.2.5.4

Lan, P.-C. (2022). Shifting borders and migrant workers’ im/mobility: The case of Taiwan during the COVID-19 pandemic. Asian and Pacific Migration Journal, 31(3), 225–246. https://doi.org/10.1177/01171968221127495 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/01171968221127495

Palmer, W., & Piper, N. (2023). Regulatory (Mal)Integration: Its Implications for Migrant Workers’ Ability to Access Employment Rights in Indonesia. Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies, 21(2), 203–216. https://doi.org/10.1080/15562948.2022.2142349 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15562948.2022.2142349

Rahayu, D., Supaat, D. I., & Yusuf, M. (2024). The neglect of protection for undocumented Migrant Workers within the framework of Human Rights Law. Legality : Jurnal Ilmiah Hukum, 32(2), 374–393. https://doi.org/10.22219/ljih.v32i2.34993 DOI: https://doi.org/10.22219/ljih.v32i2.34993

S. McDougal, M., D. Lasswell, H., & Chen, L. (1976). The Protection of Aliens from Discrimination and World Public Order: Responsibility of States Conjoined with Human Rights. American Journal of International Law, 70(3), 432–469. https://doi.org/10.2307/2200135 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2200135

Sánchez Busso, M. (2023). Sociology of law: Introduction and main theoretical approaches. Oñati Socio-Legal Series, 13(2), 536–562. https://doi.org/10.35295/osls.iisl/0000-0000-0000-1359 DOI: https://doi.org/10.35295/osls.iisl/0000-0000-0000-1359

Sim, A., & Wee, V. (2013). Undocumented Indonesian Workers in Macau: The Human Outcome of Colluding Interests. In Migrant Workers in Asia (0 ed., pp. 157–175). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315875132-13 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315875132-13

Suyanto, B., Sugihartati, R., Sutinah, & Hidayat, M. (2020). Bargaining the Future: A Descriptive Study of the Lives of the Indonesian Illegal Migrant Workers. Journal of International Migration and Integration, 21(1), 185–204. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-019-00710-y DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-019-00710-y

Utami, T. K. (2024). Regulation of legal sanctions against perpetrators of non-procedural placement of Indonesian migrant workers: A human trafficking perspective. Cogent Social Sciences, 10(1), 2421347. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2024.2421347 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2024.2421347