An Indonesian migrant worker has arrived back home following a perilous experience in the Middle East, officials said. Her safe return ends her nightmare of having been duped into domestic work in the UAE and Lebanon.
In a press release published yesterday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said a human trafficking victim, IL, left Indonesia for a promising and well-paying job at a restaurant in Dubai.
“When she arrived, she was locked up in a house along with several other foreign migrant workers. Then, IL was forced to become a domestic helper and had to work day and night at the behest of her employer,” the ministry said.
IL was then forced to follow her employer as they relocated to Beirut. Facing a breaking point after being coerced into poor working and living conditions, IL finally went to the Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) in the Lebanese capital for help.
She sought refuge at the embassy for three months as officials worked to fly her back to Indonesia. IL eventually left Lebanon on March 20, and is now undergoing quarantine at an isolation facility in Jakarta before she could return to her family.
IL’s story is just one of the many tales of Indonesian migrant workers suffering similar ordeal. Amid numerous stories of abuse, Indonesia for years imposed a moratorium on domestic workers from employment in the Middle East. But the lure of high-paying jobs and the lack of opportunities back home has seen many defy the ban and fall right into the trap of traffickers.
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