Press Release
Solidaritas Perempuan
DIFFERENT LAW SYSTEM AND CULTURE THAT NOT VERY WELL SOCIALIZED, HUNDREDS OF INDONESIAN WOMEN MIGRANT WORKERS
BEING JAILED AND STRIKE WITH A WHIP IN SAUDY ARABIA
Jakarta, March 8th 2008,
Hundreds Indonesian women migrant workers being jailed right now at Saudi Arabia. It was related by some criminality cases. One case that handling by Solidaritas Perempuan was a migrant worker who accused using magic to poison her master by making some ingredient liquid and collecting her own hair. Continues with that, there was also migrant worker that accused doing zina (sexual adultery), but the real situation behind that was those migrant worker was being rape by her master. That tragedy results a pregnancy to the victim. Ironically, she was the one who assumed responsibility for the punishment, captured in a jailed and strike with a lot of whip with the accusing doing zina (sexual adultery). Reported by one of Indonesian Women migrant worker who captured there, each month there were more than 500 Indonesian Women migrant worker that being jailed
Arabian System of Law, did not recognize the terminology of raping, related by that, it caused that the punisment to the victim who assumed being responsible to accept the strike with a lot of whip for the accused doing perzinahan (sexual adultery). Related with that, there are a cultural difference between Saudy Arabia and Indonesia such as do not throw the hair and the cutting nail whenever they are in menstruation or praying for other people and grateful to God that usually happens in Indonesian culture, making other causality that related to the accused of practising magic.
From the case that handling by Solidaritas Perempuan, those bad experience was also taken by one of Indonesia women migrant worker. Her name is Jul, 29 years old, from Cirebon and also Wen, 33 years old, from Karawang. Jul perdicted will be jailed for 10 years and take the strike of 1000 whip with the accused practising magic by collecting her own hair and making some ingredients for her master who was sick for the purpose to heal the master. She accepted the law council for 2 years, from the end of 2005 until she got the decision at the end of 2007. While, Wen that accused doing zina (sexual adultery) punished in a jail for 2 years and taking the strike of 400 whip. Wen got her punisment decreased because her master acknowledge the rape and asked apologize. Wen taking her punisment during her pregnancy after the rape, she also broke her leg and her back because dropt from the stair of her master house when she tried to run away from that place. She take the strike of 50 whip each week. "In my first punisment, I take 50 strike of whip each week, with me there were also 35 women who take the same punisment like i did, for the second punisment, there were 50 women, for the third there were 30 women and for the last there were only 12 women who got the punisment" said Wen. For this, in a month there are 127 Indonesia women migrant workers who take the punisment of being strike a whip.
This situation stated a weak legal law to protect Indonesian Women migrant worker who work in Saudy Arabia. This is also show the failedness of Indonesia Government to inform the law system and Arabian culture to the migrant worker candidat in Balai Latihan Kerja (BLK) or at Pembekalan Akhir Pemberangkatan (PAP). With that situation, all Indonesia Women Migrant Worker predisposition of any kind of exploitation and phisical harshness action also the accused of doing a criminal action. While we know that, Saudy Arabia is one of the priority purpose place for Indonesia Migrant worker to work. BNP2TKI Statistic show us that more than 186.715 workers and 171.796 or 92 % from total worker are a woman.
Related with that, with the comemoration of International Women's Day, Solidaritas Perempuan doing some simpatic action to socialized Arabian Law system and also the culture of Arabian Society to the general public for the purpose to increase the awareness of the public to protect the Migrant worker especially women migrant worker who work in Saudy Arabia. This action will start is Terminal Bus Kampung Rambutan, on Saturday 8 March 2008 from 10:00 a.m until 12: 00 p.m by spreading the brochures and sticking the stickers to all vehicles there. This action supported by more than 30 activist from Solidaritas Perempuan
Instead of that, Solidaritas Perempuan is also ask about prosecution to Indonesian Government for :
1. Urgently formed a special investigation team with the perspective to protect the victim and send the team to Saudy Arabia for handling the problem that related to migrant worker that have been jailed there
2. Urgenly fixing the system protection to the migrant worker and monitoring the prossesion of giving the clear and right information about Arabian system of law and also the culture of its society to all the migrant worker candidates at the Balai Latihan Kerja (BLK) or athe end of Pembekalan Akhir Pemberangkatan (PAP).
If this action do not work properly, we stated our argument and also the public argument that Indonesian Government was ignored the responsibility to protect all the citizen right to being protected in other country, especially the migrant worker
For any further information plese contact:
Salma Safitri Rahayaan
Ketua Badan Eksekutif Nasional
Solidaritas Perempuan
HP: 08129500898
Asma'ul Khusnaeny
Kepala Devisi Bantuan Hukum
Solidaritas Perempuan
HP: 081905533641
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