Family split threatens Indonesian migrant workers
SBS Indonesian
11/07/2025 13:08 Indonesian Behind this work is the potential for considerable problems for the families of migrant workers in the homeland. There is interesting research from Prof. Doktor Sukamdi, senior researcher at the Center for Population and Policy Studies, Gadjah Mada University (UGM) Yogyakara, on how the negative impact of migrant workers, on their families especially their children, who live in hometowns. Unfortunately due to educational factors, the majority of Indonesian workers who work abroad, work in the non-formal sector, mainly as domestic assistants. Because of this situation, migrant families in the homeland have the potential to face major problems, even family splits or divorces. In many cases, spouses of migrant workers, especially husbands in the homeland, abuse money earned by working wives.
'This case is not common, but there are cases where it is actually not just one family, but quite a lot. When the one who goes abroad, or the PMI is a woman, they send money home, the one who receives it is her husband, then there is a tendency for her husband to marry again,' said Prof. Dr. Sukamdi, senior researcher at the Center for Population and Policy Studies (PSKK), Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) Yogyakarta.
Salinas, California, USA - September 17, 2015: Crop harvest by agricultural workers who spend hours bent over in the sun manually picking produce for grocers. Credit: ChuckSchugPhotography/Getty Images What Sukamdi reports is the result of research that has been carried out for many years in 4 countries. Indonesia is represented by four districts, two in West Java and two in East Java. The research project is titled CHAMPSEA, Children Health and Migrant Parents In South East Asia. In addition to Indonesia, the same research was conducted in the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. The study began in 2008, resumed in 2016, and repeated again in 2023 to map the growing trend.
Credit: dok UGM It was that phenomenon, Sukamdi said, that caused migration, originally thought of as one way out of poverty, to become ineffective. 'Because the utilization of reminders is not in the direction of productive activities,' he said buying reason. Another issue facing migrant workers is marital disruption or disruption in their marriages. Research conducted in four districts, namely Ponorogo and Tulungagung in East Java, and Sukabumi and Tasikmalaya in West Java gave consistent results. In Indonesia, more women are leaving. It's what we know with the feminization of migrants. Indonesian migration is because of the growing number of women and why women are one of them because of the job opportunities abroad that are in many domestic sectors, especially those in Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan. Formally, there are differences in the issues found in this study, in different countries, although each country experiences the adverse effects of migraine for children and marital disruption. For example, in the first study in 2008, data were found that roughly 10 percent of children of migrant workers started smoking at a very early age, 6 to 12 years. But in Vietnam, the data found was not about cigarettes, but the consumption of liquor in children of migrant workers. Sukamdi stressed that PMIs know and are aware of the risks and there have been efforts to minimize that risk. However, the facts on the ground show that this issue is difficult to overcome. Even after the research team held various discussions with local governments of PMI sources such as Ponorogo and Tulungagung. With communication technologies already excellent as they are today, PMI tries to more often or intensify communication with families, including with bereaved spouses.
Therefore, Sukamdi underlined that PMI's protection problem is not limited to protection against its migrants alone, but also protection of their families. He called for a government policy or program to help prevent migrant workers from facing such problems.
Father with daughters looking through window at home waiting for the mother to come home Credit: Maskot/Getty Images/Maskot The study has delivered a summary of the policy to the government as a result. First, in the issue of childcare, as it is considered quite weighty, the researchers propose the need to develop a model of Early Childhood Education (PAUD) especially for migrant children. The second recommendation is related to remittance, the researchers propose the existence of microfinance management literacy. While marital disruption is recognized by Sukamdi as the most difficult issue to find a way out of. He said that several ways have been taken, such as the government of Ponorogo district, East Java, which gave conditions to its citizens who want to become PMI abroad, to commit to maintaining the integrity of the family. 'But I also do not know how effective the program is, because it is a bit difficult for us to find a suitable solution, which is then effective, it is rather difficult because the dimensions are very complex,' Sukamdi explained.
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Nurhadi Sucahyo reported for SBS Indonesian. Listen to SBS Indonesian every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 3pm.
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