Protection for Migrant Workers

The government is preparing to ratify a United Nations convention that would provide better protections for Indonesian citizens working in other countries. Please find below an article on the New Strait Times regarding this matter.

Indonesia to join convention on migrant workers

Indonesia will join other countries as a party to the United Nations convention on protecting migrant workers, a Law and Human Rights Ministry official said.

"We are preparing the academic draft (of the necessary regulations)," Indonesia''s Antara news agency quoted the ministry's director general of human rights, Harkristuti Harkrisnowo, as saying on the sidelines of a function to mark the 2009 World Human Rights Day here on Thursday.

Harkristuti said Indonesia was making preparations to ratify the UN Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families.

Indonesia's plan to ratify the convention was laid down in the 2009 National Action Plan for Human Rights, she said.

In the near future, Indonesia would become a party to the UN convention, she said.

All processes related to the country''s plan to ratify the convention would be discussed at an inter-ministerial meeting because the matter was included in the National Action Plan for Human Rights, she said.

Although the discussion would involve a number of ministries it would be the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry that would play a great role in ratifying the convention, she said.

Indonesia signed the convention in September 2004.

The government has come under fire from many non-governmental organisations for not ratifying the convention.

Manpower and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin Iskandar said recently Indonesia would ratify the convention within two years, noting that it was preparing the necessary regulations.

The Law and Human Rights Ministry was one of the agencies celebrating World Human Rights Day which falls on December 10.