The Social Affairs Ministry has prepared the Tanjung Pinang Protection House and Trauma Center (RPTC), Bambu Apus RPTC, and 41 social rehabilitation centers belonging to the ministry,
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Social Affairs Ministry prepared the Tanjung Pinang Protection House and Trauma Center (RPTC), Bambu Apus RPTC, and 41 social rehabilitation centers for repatriating 7,300 problematic Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) from Malaysia in June-July 2021.

Under the coordination of the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture (PMK), the Social Affairs Ministry is ready to offer social rehabilitation, repatriation, and reintegration services.

"The duties and functions of the Social Affairs Ministry is in accordance with Regulation of the Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture No. 3, with focus on victims of Trafficking in Persons (TPO)," Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini noted in a statement received here on Thursday.

In addition to coordinating with the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the Social Affairs Ministry is working in coordination with other task forces, including the regional government and the COVID-19 Task Force Team, for handling the plan to repatriate problematic Indonesian migrant workers through the Tanjung Pinang and Pontianak entry points.

"The Social Affairs Ministry has prepared the Tanjung Pinang Protection House and Trauma Center (RPTC), Bambu Apus RPTC, and 41 social rehabilitation centers belonging to the ministry," Director General of Social Rehabilitation Harry Hikmat remarked.

The ministry stated that the 41 centers are being ramped up to handle these problematic Indonesian migrant workers.

"The 41 centers can serve as transit points or self-isolation sites before the migrant workers return to their respective areas of residence," Hikmat noted.

Moreover, the ministry deploys social workers to conduct data collection, assessment, and intervention; handle repatriation and referrals; as well as prepare clothing, toiletries, life insurance assistance, and additional food for immigrants during the trip.

Hikmat admitted to encountering problems in the absence of data integration of the PMI handled by the ministry and those who received social security as well as other social protection programs with the ministry or institution that handles these migrant workers.

"Thus, these problematic Indonesian migrant workers can work abroad again," he remarked.

Ministries or agencies, under the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture, are currently coordinating the plan to repatriate Indonesian migrant workers from Malaysia, so that the repatriation can take place in a systematic, directed manner and is in accordance with the number of Indonesian migrant workers recorded by name and address and who will be repatriated by the Malaysian government during the June-July 2021 period.

Femmy Eka Putri from the Coordinating Ministry expressed the ministry’s readiness to repatriate Indonesian migrant workers in good health.

"Of course, we will continue to conduct cross-sectoral coordination for the repatriation of these migrant workers," she remarked.
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Translator: Devi Nindy Sari Ramadhan, Katr
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