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can we protect them if we do not have the exact number," BP2MI Head Benny Rhamdani
remarked here during a webinar on protection for Indonesian crew of foreign ships on
Wednesday.

Rhamdani noted that Indonesian workers, including ship crew members, contributed notably to
the country's foreign exchange income, with remittances by migrant workers reaching Rp158.9
trillion annually. "That would constitute some seven percent of the total state budget," he stated.

Echoing the same opinion, CEO of Indonesia Ocean Justice Initiative (IOJI) Mas Achmad Santosa
highlighted issues pertaining to data in the placement and protection of Indonesian crew
members of foreign ships.

Related news: BP2MI met with Taiwan to discuss suspension of PMI's placement "It necessitates
the creation of an integrated database on ship crew members," Santosa affirmed.

Other areas of concern are the duplication of authority in the recruitment and placement of ship
crew members, ineffective monitoring and law enforcement against perpetrators of human
trafficking and human rights abuse against ship crew members, and dismal understanding on
the rights of migrant ship crew members.

"Law No. 18 of 2017 on Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers, including ship crews, would
need an implementing regulation to elaborate further the form of protection before, during, and
after works, as well as legal, economic, and social protection," he stated.

Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah remarked that Indonesian crew members employed in foreign
ships are migrant workers that should be protected by the state in accordance with Law No. 18
of 2017.

"The rights of Indonesian ship crews as well as other migrant workers and their families is
protected by the law. However, we have to admit that in the context of slavery at sea, we still
see several violations of the rights of migrant workers," the minister affirmed.

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