Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection through the Law Number 18 of 2017: New Direction and its Implementation Challenges

Abstract

As one of the prominent sending states of migrant workers, Indonesia seeks to increase protection efforts for its citizens who work abroad through the Law Number 18 of 2017 on the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (UUPPMI). The UUPPMI replaces the Law Number 39 of 2004 on the Placement and the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers, which was criticized since it only focused on the issue of placement without paying a lot of attention related with protection of migrant workers. This study used normative method to analyze the articles of UUPPMI and evaluate the suitability of the arrangements to the theories of worker protection. The results indicate that one of the most prominent changes in the UUPPMI is the emergence of a larger role of the government, which means that it automatically reduces the role of private sector in the mechanism of placement and protection of migrant workers. The UUPPMI delegates the responsibility to protect migrant workers to both central and regional governments, starting from before, during, and after worker’s work period.