"‘Desperate’ Indonesians risk abuse, death in Malaysia by taking jobs from illegal recruiters", 20 August 2023

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Danger and exploitation are amplified when Indonesians accept jobs through shady recruiters making big promises [...]. But more people are taking unregulated routes to the job market since the pandemic – and ensuing inflation crisis – crushed their incomes.

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“People are desperate and can fall into the trap of using these illegal pathways,” [Sister Laurentina] said, noting that many either travel using falsified documents or are taken on overcrowded motorboats, often from Batam, an Indonesian island neighbouring Malaysia.

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In May, Indonesia’s migrant protection agency (BP2MI) said nearly 2,000 Indonesian migrant workers had died overseas, including in Malaysia, as a result of abuse, accidents, or illness since 2020.

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In 2022, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, citing World Bank data, reported that about 9 million Indonesian citizens were working abroad. But only about 4.7 million have been officially registered with BP2MI.

The number is believed to have surged after pandemic-era curbs wiped out savings, forcing more people into taking work abroad, often illegally.

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Indonesian workers primarily go to Malaysia and the Middle East for jobs as domestic workers, or in construction or agriculture. [...]

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More than 10 coffins carrying the bodies of illegal migrant workers from East Nusa Tenggara are returned to the province every month, according to local news outlet Kompas.

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