Migrant Care Criticizes Government Failure to Protect Indonesian Migrant Workers

On International Labor Day 2026, Migrant Care has issued a strong critique, asserting that the Indonesian state has failed in its fundamental duty to create decent employment opportunities and adequately protect its migrant workers from the pervasive threats of exploitation and human trafficking.

The organization points to the millions of young Indonesians facing limited job prospects domestically, a situation that renders them tragically vulnerable to falling prey to human trafficking networks and forced labor schemes abroad. Migrant Care emphasizes that the demands of Labor Day extend beyond mere wage increases; they encompass the state's responsibility to actively create jobs and guarantee decent work.

A particularly alarming trend highlighted is the rise of 'forced criminality' in the Mekong region, including Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos. Victims are lured through digital platforms and then coerced into committing crimes under the control of trafficking rings. Migrant Care laments the lack of adequate legal frameworks in Indonesia to protect these victims and criticizes the slow progress in revising the law against human trafficking, despite the escalating number of cases.

Furthermore, Migrant Care voices concern over the direction of government policy regarding migrant worker protection. The organization argues that the institutional transformation within the Ministry of Migrant Worker Protection has not translated into strengthened on-the-ground protection. Instead, they perceive a shift from a protection regime to a commodification-focused 'sending' regime.

In response, Migrant Care calls for urgent reforms: a comprehensive overhaul of the migrant worker protection system, expedited revision of the Human Trafficking Law to recognize forced criminality as a form of trafficking, sufficient budget allocation for protection initiatives, and enhanced diplomatic efforts in countries where Indonesian migrant workers are placed.

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