Malaysia is one of Asia's biggest employers of foreign labour. But recently, cases of deaths, abuse and forced labour have come to light. What is going on? Who is protecting these migrant workers?
Arifin’s daughter, Lia Apriantu, who was a migrant worker in Malaysia, died
last week after allegedly being abused by her employer.
<p>The 17-year-old Lia, from Babatan village in South Lampung, passed away on
Nov. 15. Her death was reported by a Malaysian resident, who took the girl into
her house and then to the hospital.</p>
<p>Arifin said his daughter called him earlier this month, claiming she was being
abused by her boss at a textile company in Selangor, Malaysia. He said Lia begged
him to send her Rp 2.5 million (US$270) for the trip back home, but he couldn’t
raise the money.</p>
<p>The Lampung provincial administration has told Arifin they can do little to
help.</p>
<p>Lampung Governor Sjachroedin Z.P. said his office was hoping the employment
agency that sent Lia to Malaysia would assist in bringing her remains home.</p>
<p>He said the administration would not send a team to return Lia’s remains, since
it was the agency’s responsibility and the provincial government couldn’t afford
to dispatch people to Malaysia.</p>
<p>The Lampung administration earlier began collaborating with a number of employment
agencies in the hope of more effectively monitoring Lampung migrant workers
leaving Indonesia to work overseas. The move was also expected to prevent document
forgery.</p>
<p>"However, Lia left Lampung with an identity card from another province.
We only found out after her death," said Sjachroedin.</p>
<p>Central Lampung Regent Zulkifli Anwar has threatened to sue PT Suma Jaya, the
employment agency that sent Lia to Malaysia, if it fails to arrange funeral
procedures — from bringing back her remains from Kuala Lumpur to the burial
in Babatan, Lampung.</p>
<p>"I will file a lawsuit if the company refuses to accept responsibility
over Lia’s death," said Zulkifli, accusing them of falsifying Lia’s age.</p>
<p>Zulkifli also promised to find a way to get Lia’s remains home himself if the
company continued to shun its responsibilities.</p>
<p>Arifin said his daughter left for Malaysia in May last year with her mother,
Romlah, and several friends from the village. The employment agency had allegedly
lied about her age, changing it to 26, so that she could work in Malaysia. The
group was directly taken by a middleman to the employment agency in Pancoran,
South Jakarta.</p>
<p>After spending time at the company’s transit shelter, the would-be migrant
workers were sent to Malaysia.</p>
<p>Romlah was employed as a housemaid in Kuala Lumpur while Lia originally worked
as a maid in Kampung Baru Ampang in Selangor state.</p>
<p>While in Malaysia, Romlah said she was unable to contact her daughter because
she only learned that Lia was working in Selangor upon her return to Lampung.</p>
<p>Lia wished to return home because of the alleged abuse and unpaid wages. She
said she was only paid for six months of her year’s work, receiving Rp 700,000
(US$78) instead of the promised Rp 1.2 million monthly salary.</p>
<p>Executive director of the Damar Women’s Advocate Institute, Siti Noor Laila,
said that apart from becoming human trafficking victims, many young Lampung
women have become victims of recalcitrant employment agencies.</p>
<p>"Villagers, who are generally poor, are easy targets due to their lack
of knowledge and are easily preyed upon because they are trapped in poverty,"
said Siti.
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