Located in a coastal area, Pemalang district in Central Java is known for its fishing industry and fisheries potential. Pemalang is also a home for 28 Indonesian Migrant Workers Placement Companies (P3MI) and 22 manning agencies that have sent 892 Pemalang residents working abroad as migrant workers and 2,596 as migrant fishing boat crews.

However, although they follow official migration procedures, they are still vulnerable to exploitation and violence. In 2023, the Indonesian Migrant Worker Protection Agency (BP2MI) reported that there were 1,999 complaints from Indonesian migrant workers.

Therefore, to build the capacity of the local and village governments of Pemalang, the ILO’s 8.7 Accelerator Lab programme on the elimination of forced labour in the fishing sector, in collaboration with the Indonesian Migrant Union (SBMI), conducted a two-day training programme in Jakarta from 1-2 February as part of the effort to implement the Law No. 18/2017 on the Protection of Migrant Workers and the Government Regulation No. 22/2022 on the Protection of Migrant Fishers.

These regulations state that regional government should protect potential migrant workers, provide training through vocational training programme and establish a one-stop integrated service. Meanwhile, the village government is responsible for providing migration information, monitoring departures and returns and empower potential migrant workers and their families.

Tito Suharto, Secretary of Manpower Office of Pemalang, said that the Manpower Office of Pemalang has initiated the establishment of a Migrant Worker Resource Centre (MRC). “Last year, we only recorded 551 migrant workers, of whom 122 are migrant fishers, who had undertaken official procedures. Through the MRC, we hope to strengthen the protection of migrant workers by providing a greater access to labour migration information and labour rights,” he said.

Muhamad Nour, National Coordinator for ILO’s 8.7 Accelerator Lab programme in Indonesia, explained that learning from the experiences of the four MRCs initiated by the ILO and its social partners in four districts known as sending areas in East Java, West Java and Lampung, the ILO’s 8.7 Accelerator Lab programme would provide a continuous assistance to strengthen the local Pemalang authorities and the MRC to better protect migrant fishing boat crews.

“Different from the other four MRCs, the Pemalang’s MRC is the only MRC focusing on migrant fishing boat crews. The province of Central java is the largest province of origin for Indonesian fishers in both Indonesian and foreign fishing vessels who are vulnerable to forced labour and human trafficking. Thus, we hope that through the MRC, potential migrant fishers can work at sea safely with decent working conditions and free from the risks of forced labour and human trafficking,” he stated.

Creating a culture of fair and inclusive migration service

During the two-day training, around 30 Pemalang’s local authorities representing the District Offices of Manpower, Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Home Affairs, Education and Culture, Regional Planning. Labour Migration as well as head of villages, migrant workers’ organizations and manning agencies learnt to recognize migrant workers’ labour rights, assist migrant workers to understand the challenges faced working at sea and support migrant workers who become victims of work violence.

National representatives from the Ministry of Manpower’s Directorate of Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers and the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Directorate of Local Government Synchronization Affairs also participated in the training as resource persons.

In addition, the training provided ways to create a culture of fair and inclusive migration service and to strengthen networks and synergies with relevant stakeholders, including the families of migrant workers. The training concluded with a sharing session on lessons learnt from other MRCs and on the reflection of Pemalang’s Road Map for the Protection of Migrant Workers and Migrant Fishing Boat Crews.

One of the head of villages stated that by having a better understanding about the risks of labour migration and labour rights of migrant workers, he could provide a better service and protection for potential migrant workers from his village and enlighten them about the risks and challenges.

“Our dilemma as a head of village is when we receive requests to falsify the age for domestic fishing work to Bali. If we reject the request, the potential migrant fishers would insist saying that fishing is already part of their whole lives and do not hinder them from working at sea,” he said.

The representative from the Pemalang’s Education Office emphasized the urgency for setting up a minimum education level for migrant fishing boat crews as a requirement. “The requirement of a minimum educational level is set up to better protect Indonesian migrant fishing boat crews and to minimize their risks in being trapped in the hostile working environment, especially forced labour.”

The ILO’s 8.7 Accelerator Lab programme is created to accelerate progress towards the eradication of forced labour and the elimination of child labour. Target countries which have been selected to implement Multi Partner Fund’s interventions in the fisheries sector are Indonesia, South Africa and Ghana and the Democratic Republic of Congo for the mining sector.