East Lampung Opens Indonesia’s First Migrant Worker Centre in a Public Service Mall

East Lampung Regency has launched Indonesia's first Migrant Worker Resource Centre (MRC) integrated into a Public Service Mall, bringing information, documentation and protection services together in one location for residents preparing to work abroad, current and returning migrant workers, and their families.

Angklung music accompanied the launch at the Islamic Centre Complex in Lampung Province on 24 September 2026, supported by the International Labour Organization (ILO) through the European Union-funded PROTECT project, with government agencies, civil society organizations, migrant worker unions and development partners participating.

East Lampung sends an average of 5,000–7,000 workers overseas each year, making it one of the province's largest migrant-worker communities, with women employed in domestic work accounting for 72% of those placed abroad and Lampung ranking fifth nationally among provinces of origin.

One location brings migration information and assistance closer to residents

Residents can access information about overseas employment opportunities, consultations, pre-departure preparation, documentation services and safe migration education at the integrated centre, together with assistance, complaint mechanisms and guidance on protection for workers and their families.

East Lampung Regent Ela Siti Nuryamah said the initiative reflects the local government's responsibility to address risks such as inaccurate job information, recruitment outside regular procedures and difficulties obtaining legal protection in destination countries. She described the MRC as a community hub for information, education and assistance, supporting people throughout the migration process rather than limiting services to preparations for departure.

Standard Operating Procedures cover service delivery, coordination, complaint handling and referrals, giving government agencies, trade unions and civil society a shared basis for providing accessible, inclusive services that respond to women's needs and reach communities at village level.

Government and worker representatives stress protection throughout migration

Indonesia's Vice Minister for the Protection of Migrant Workers, Dzulfikar Ahmad Tawalla, welcomed the initiative and called for protection commitments to become concrete, measurable actions, stressing that workers should experience government support from the moment they prepare to leave until they return home. He linked the protection of individual migrant workers to the security of their families and Indonesia's future, underlining the wider importance of services that help people navigate overseas employment safely.

Yunita Rohani, representing the Indonesian Migrant Workers Union (SBMI), expressed hope that the centre would become the first place prospective migrants seek reliable information and a safe space for workers experiencing difficulties. She said accessible guidance should help workers use regular migration channels, obtain appropriate skills and understand their rights and responsibilities throughout their time abroad and their return to Indonesia.

East Lampung offers a model for services in other regions

Diego Rei, ILO Employment and Labour Market Specialist, said the initiative reflects three priorities- protection, coordination and efficiency- with closer institutional cooperation strengthening migrant-worker protection and supporting the application of international labour standards. He highlighted the potential to reduce the time and cost involved in accessing services, identifying the East Lampung model as a practice that other regions could replicate.

Support comes through PROTECT, formally titled Ensuring Decent Work and Reducing Vulnerabilities for Women and Children in the Context of Labour Migration in Southeast Asia, which is funded by the EU, led by the ILO and implemented with UN Women, UNICEF and UNODC. The project supports reforms to labour migration governance, stronger recruitment regulation and approaches that uphold workers' rights and respond to gender-related needs across Southeast Asia.