Indonesia Strengthens Protection for Women Migrant Workers

The workshops reached 203 participants in Cirebon, Deli Serdang, Kupang, Tulungagung and East Lampung, districts known for high levels of labour migration and returning migrant workers.

Frontline officials across five Indonesian districts are improving the way they identify and respond to trafficking risks faced by women migrant workers after taking part in a series of joint training programmes led by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Conducted under the PROTECT Project between March and May 2026, the initiative focused on building stronger coordination between labour authorities, police, prosecutors, trade unions, social workers, village officials and civil society organizations.

The workshops reached 203 participants in Cirebon, Deli Serdang, Kupang, Tulungagung and East Lampung, districts known for high levels of labour migration and returning migrant workers. The programme encouraged institutions that often work separately to share information, recognize warning signs earlier and respond more effectively when workers face exploitation or trafficking.

Local challenges demand coordinated action

Each district faces different forms of risk, making local cooperation essential. Kupang frequently deals with migrant workers returning in critical condition or disappearing overseas, while Cirebon has seen trafficking hidden behind fraudulent marriage arrangements. In Deli Serdang, illegal brokers continue to lure people with promises of jobs in neighbouring Malaysia, while Tulungagung and East Lampung are seeing recruitment increasingly shift to online platforms linked to scam operations.

The ILO supported the workshops with expertise on labour migration governance and the One Stop Centre with Migrant Worker Resource Centre (LTSA-MRC) model, which connects government agencies, workers' organizations and women's crisis centres. These centres have already assisted more than 7,500 migrant workers, with women making up 85 per cent of those receiving employment guidance, legal support, health services, psychosocial care and case management. Awareness campaigns have also reached more than 69,000 women migrant workers.

Training builds stronger protection networks

UNODC contributed technical guidance on criminal justice responses, helping participants distinguish trafficking from migrant smuggling while strengthening victim identification and investigation practices. The programme also included practical exercises that resulted in district-level action plans and standard operating procedures for better cooperation between agencies.

Officials involved in the training said the sessions offered practical knowledge that can be immediately applied in their daily work, particularly as traffickers increasingly use digital platforms to recruit victims. Community organizations also stressed that prevention must begin at the village level, where early warning signs often first appear. The PROTECT Project is helping Indonesia build stronger local protection systems by ensuring frontline institutions work together to safeguard women migrant workers before exploitation can occur.