Safe migration for migrants from Lombok

The province of Nusa Tenggara Barat, which includes the island of Lombok, is rich in agricultural resources. Nevertheless, the region has deep-rooted socio-economic problems: in 2016, more than 800,000 residents were living in poverty. The province ranks 30th out of 34 on the Human Development Index, and the precarious living conditions mean that people are looking for alternative employment opportunities abroad. Especially people with a low level of education end up in jobs where they are massively exploited. Women are particularly affected by human trafficking. Many people work abroad as domestic workers, where they often become victims of sexual exploitation.

Together with the partner organization PPK, we are working to ensure that migrant domestic workers are protected from exploitation and can assert their rights. PPK combines three approaches to this: Female migrant domestic workers and their families in Lombok Utara are brought together and strengthened in community organizations so that they can stand up for their own rights. In the second component, they enable migrant workers to acquire economic knowledge and help them to access and manage their remittances sustainably. PPK also works with the responsible government agencies in the villages, districts and provinces to develop guidelines in response to the needs of migrant workers. In this way, existing national guidelines for the protection of migrant workers can be better implemented.

Perkumpulan Panca Karsa (PPK), was founded in 1982 in response to the social needs of women such as discrimination, domestic violence and abuse. The NGO empowers marginalized women on the island of Lombok by helping them to improve their skills and economic well-being. As early as 1996, PPK recognized the need to work in the field of labour migration and began to develop a programme that specifically addresses the difficulties faced by migrant workers. Even then, large groups of labour migrants from Lombok left the country - in many cases undocumented.