Indonesia Repatriates 500 Domestic Workers from Morocco Amid Trafficking Concerns

According to the moratorium adopted by Indonesia in 2015, "sending or receiving Indonesian domestic workers is illegal, in addition to being potentially considered an act of human trafficking." However, several trafficking networks persist, particularly to countries in the MENA region, including Morocco, which alone is said to have hosted 500 domestic workers.

According to the Indonesian press, all these workers have been repatriated, including those sent by trafficking networks to several other countries such as Syria (300), Turkey (220), Saudi Arabia (200).

The consular affairs officer at the Indonesian embassy in Morocco, Erna Sugih Priatin, listed the difficulties encountered by these Indonesian domestic workers, including "lack of remuneration, mistreatment or confiscation of identity documents by the employer."

Regarding Morocco, "the repatriated domestic workers transited through Malaysia and Singapore," she added.