The role of NGOs in promoting the rights of Indonesian women migrant workers : activism of migrant labour and women's NGOs

Abstract

With the failure of states in managing labour migration, the activism of non-state actors in promoting the rights of migrant workers has become more crucial. Various research projects have been done on this issue, mainly on conditions in the receiving countries. Except for the Philippines, which is usually referred to as a success story in the protection of their migrant workers, research on the sending countries is still quite limited Therefore, my research, which is just at an initial stage, aims to contribute to the existing body of research on labour migration, by examining NGO activism in sending countries, particularly Indonesia. Women migrant workers have become a focus for activism due to their growing number, vulnerability to abuses, appalling working conditions and frequent exclusion from the protection of labour laws and policies. In Indonesia, the issue of women migrant workers was initially embraced by women NGOs, followed later by migrant labour NGOs. This research will examine the activities of these two types of NGOs and their roles in promoting the rights of Indonesian women migrant workers. It aims to understand the approaches used and activities conducted by each type of NGO and also identify the challenges and opportunities. It is assumed that the way they frame the issue, the approaches used, their different characteristics, and the nature of their relationships with other actors involved (i.e. women migrant workers, government institutions, international organizations, agencies, and other local and international NGOs) determine their activities and roles at various levels (local, national and international).