Citigroup names Jane Fraser as first woman CEO

rfi.fr – AFP, 10/09/2020

Citigroup named Jane Fraser as its next CEO, replacing Michael Corbat who
will retire in February Julian R. Photography/AFP

New York (AFP) - Citigroup named Jane Fraser as its next chief executive on Thursday, tapping a woman to lead a giant Wall Street bank for the first time.

She will take over the top job in February, replacing Michael Corbat who will retire.

Fraser, who has served as president and CEO of global consumer banking since 2019, will join the board of directors immediately, the bank said. She has held prior roles for Citi in Latin America and in investment banking.

"I am honored by the Board's decision and grateful to Mike for his leadership and support," Fraser said in a press release.

"Our balance sheet is strong and our commitment to serving our clients and communities is even stronger. I will do everything I can to make all our stakeholders proud of our firm as we continue to build a better bank and improve our returns."

The move comes as Citi pivots to a more challenging operating environment as large banks set aside billions of dollars to prepare for bad loans due to the coronavirus.

Other women have become CEOs of big financial companies or in related industries, such as Abigail Johnson at Fidelity Investments and Julie Sweet at Accenture. But in taking the helm of the fourth-biggest US bank by assets, Fraser joins a group of Wall Street CEOs that until now has been exclusively led by white men.

Her appointment to the top job had been telegraphed from her prior promotion in October 2019 to president and head of global consumer banking. Senior women at JPMorgan Chase are also in line to potentially take the top job to succeed Jamie Dimon, who is expected to retire in the coming years.

Corporate America is also under scrutiny over the paltry number of Black leaders in the wake of massive racial justice protests this year.

Industry faces headwinds

After stumbling badly during the subprime mortgage crisis, Citigroup recovered in the ensuing decade after the 2008 financial crisis.

From 2012 to 2019, the banking giant saw net income rise from $7 billion to $20 billion, Corbat said in the press release.

"We went from returning hardly any capital to returning nearly $80 billion in capital to our shareholders over the last six years," he said.

The improvement coincided with a post-2008 US economic expansion that ended abruptly with the coronavirus outbreak.

In the most recent quarter, Citigroup added $5.6 billion in reserves for bad loans, a factor in a 73 percent drop in profits to $1.3 billion. Large banks are also staring at a lengthy period of low interest rates, putting a damper on another source of profits.

"The pandemic has a grip on the economy and it doesn't seem likely to loosen until vaccines are widely available," Corbat said on a conference call with analysts.

The Scottish-born Fraser joined Citi in 2004 after earlier roles at Goldman Sachs and McKinsey & Company. She has spoken openly about being a working mother in finance, recounting in 2016 how she worked part-time at McKinsey.

Having children "humanized me," Fraser said in the 2016 appearance at the Americas Society. "There is nothing like having children to help you understand where your priorities are."

Fraser also recounted her sometimes unorthodox career moves, such as exiting as head of the private bank in London in 2013 to oversee a turnaround of the mortgage business from St. Louis, Missouri in the midwest of the United States.

"Everyone thought I was completely nuts," she said. "I knew I would grow. I knew I would a learn a completely different skill set."

Shares of Citigroup were flat at $51.41 in late-morning trading.

Abused Hong Kong maid Erwiana 'rises again'

Yahoo - AFP, Agus Purwanto, 28 September 2018

Erwiana now works on behalf of migrant workers

She was once the face of abused maids in Hong Kong -- imprisoned, starved and beaten so badly she lost control of her bodily functions.

But four years after her horrific ordeal made global headlines, Indonesian Erwiana Sulistyaningsih is a university graduate and fighting for the rights of domestic helpers in the southern Chinese city and beyond.

Erwiana completed a degree in economics this month -- the culmination of a dream that brought her to Hong Kong in 2013 before her life was turned upside down.

"Before I went to Hong Kong, I had been dreaming I could make enough money to study," the 27-year-old told AFP from her home in Indonesia's cultural capital Yogyakarta.

"After the incident, I thought I might have to give up on that dream."

Erwiana's employer Law Wan-tung was jailed after pictures of her extensive injuries went viral in 2014.

Widespread media coverage of Erwiana's torture had one unexpected benefit -- she was offered scholarships to study.

"I'm happy but it's bittersweet because even though I graduated university there are still many migrant workers who are persecuted and treated badly," she said.

She chose economics partly to understand "why so many people in this world have to migrate" for work.

"People should be able to live peacefully in their own country without having to work abroad unprotected," she said.

Erwiana plans to take that message to demonstrations outside the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Bali next month.

Erwiana's horrific ordeal made global headlines

She now works on behalf of migrant workers, including pushing for the release of former Filipina maid Mary Jane Veloso who is on death row in Indonesia for drug smuggling.

Most domestic workers in Hong Kong are from poor communities in Indonesia and the Philippines and are vulnerable to abuse by employers and employment agencies.

Migrants from both countries have also suffered injury -- or worse -- in the Middle East and other parts of the world.

In February, the death of a Filipina maid in Kuwait, whose body was found this year stuffed in a freezer, sparked outrage in the Philippines.

Also this year, Indonesian domestic helper Adelina Sau died in hospital after being rescued from her employer's house in Malaysia's Penang state, with wounds covering her body. Her boss was charged with murder.

It is these stories that prompted Erwiana to fight for workers' rights, and never give up on herself even when she doubted her chances.

"I never imagined I'd be here -- I almost gave up," she said.

"I was so sick, I was a failed migrant worker and my injuries were all over the media.

"But because my family and fellow migrant worker friends gave me strength, I finally had the spirit to rise again."

VIDEO: A former Indonesian domestic helper Erwiana Sulistyaningsih was imprisoned, starved and beaten so badly she lost control of her bodily functions. But four years later, she now fights for the rights of domestic helpers around the world https://t.co/RYY89JL6rA pic.twitter.com/kn1yXP9R6y

— AFP news agency (@AFP) September 28, 2018

Erwiana Sulistyaningsih arrives at the Wanchai Law Courts to begin giving

 evidence against her former employer who is accused of abuse and torture, in

Hong Kong on Monday. (AFP Photo/Isaac Lawrence)

Related Article:

Erwiana Tells Court of ‘Torture’ by Hong Kong Employer

Indonesian maid to return to Hong Kong to help torture probe

Jokowi to Scrap ID Card for Indonesian Migrant Workers

Sri Mulyani Receives Best Minister Award During World Government Summit in Dubai

Jakarta Globe, February 11, 2018

(Reuters Photo/Christopher Pike)

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati received the Best Minister Award from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, Prime Minister and Vice-President of the United Arab Emirates, and ruler of Dubai, during the World Government Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Sunday (11/02). The award was given to recognize outstanding government ministers for their exceptional efforts in implementing successful reform. 

Sri Mulyani Named Finance Minister of the Year

Jakarta Globe, Tabita Diela, March 23, 2017

Finance Asia, a Hong Kong-based publication, on Wednesday (22/03) named Sri
Mulyani Indrawati the Finance Minister of the Year 2017. (Reuters Photo/Beawiharta)

  

Jakarta. Finance Asia, a Hong Kong-based publication, on Wednesday (22/03) named Sri Mulyani Indrawati the Finance Minister of the Year 2017.

Sri was followed by South Korea's Yoo Il-ho and Carlos "Sonny" Garcia Dominguez of the Philippines.

The publication lauded Sri's improvements in the country's tax collection system, saying the minister has a "stellar reputation" and an "indomitable work ethic."

Sri previously served as Indonesia's finance minister from 2005-2010 under President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, before leaving government to take on a role as the managing director and chief operating officer of the World Bank.

In July last year, Sri accepted the position to head the Finance Ministry under President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, succeeding Bambang Brodjonegoro after he left to head the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas).

Bambang jump-started the national tax amnesty program, but Finance Asia said that Sri's "fearsome reputation" was "undoubtedly crucial" to its continued success. Indonesia's tax amnesty has been lauded as one of the most successful programs of its kind, with participants declaring Rp 4,590 trillion ($344 billion) worth of assets previously hidden from government oversight.

L'Oréal Campaigns for Gender Equality in Science With #ChangeTheNumbers

Jakarta Globe, Devina Halim & Ratri M. Siniwi, October 08, 2016

In view of the fact that only 30 percent of researchers in the world are women,
 international beauty care company L'Oréal launched a global campaign titled
#ChangeTheNumbers in an effort to address the issue. (JG Photo/ Megan Herndon)

Jakarta. International beauty care company L'Oréal has launched a global campaign titled #ChangeTheNumbers in an effort to remedy the fact that only 30 percent of scientific researchers in the world are women.

The campaign manifesto lists several points considered essential in empowering younger women to develop careers in science and ensuring that there is equal opportunity and exposure for them in the field.

"L'Oréal believes the world needs science and science needs women. The purpose of this global campaign is to change the public perspective of women in science and to attract more women to choose becoming researchers," L'Oréal Indonesia head of communications Melanie Masriel said on Thursday (06/10).

Two inspiring Indonesian female researchers were invited to speak during a discussion about the lack of women in science, hosted by the company.

Ines Atmosukarto, chief executive and managing director of Australian vaccine research and development firm Lipotek Canberra, and Fenny M. Dwivany, associate professor in molecular biology at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), both mothers and recipients of the L'Oréal-Unesco for Women in Science International Fellowship in 2004 and 2007, respectively.

The two women said being a researcher is not for the weak, but that the hard work pays off with great rewards.

"We want to open the eyes of the younger generation to show that there are lots of rewards for being a researcher, so it's not only about the challenges," Ines said.

One of the rewards, she added, was the opportunity to see the world and being exposed to different cultures while studying or attending forums, and the ability of also providing that to her children.

"We can open the minds of our next generation to see the world and question everything and become more curious and creative," Ines said.

By doing so, she believes future generations would be able to help Indonesia move towards its goal of becoming a developed manufacturing country.

In terms of challenges, Fenny said researchers in Indonesia mostly face problems in infrastructure and funding.

"Indonesia is such a biodiverse country and as a biologist, it's sad to see these problems. But if we're not the ones researching this, then who will?" the associate professor said.

According to Fenny, being a researcher helps women to become more perseverant, detail-oriented and tough, especially with the ability to multitask as mothers and researchers.

"We have an advantage of having a different point of view from a male perspective, which could help fill the gap," she added.

While society still judges them against the norm of women having to be stay-at-home mothers, they accredit their support systems for being understanding and helping them break through that barrier while accomplishing their goals.

"I think we were both fortunate enough to have support systems that encouraged us to further our research and education. And I believe that having a support system is essential for researchers," Ines said.

Other than having great support systems, both women said the key to being successful in this field is to be constantly curios, while satisfaction is something dangerous in research.

"To be a scientist you must have fire in your belly, because research is all about working with failures and that should be the fuel to keep you going," Ines said.

The women believe that despite the difficulties, Indonesian girls should not be afraid of pursuing their dreams of becoming scientists.

"There is a culture in our society that makes us afraid of challenges. The potential in Indonesia is high, but there are not enough opportunities," Fenny said.

According to her, there are many Indonesian researchers studying abroad, but coming home is the challenge.

"When we as researchers return to Indonesia, we don't have fields to work in. We can't go home because there are not enough job opportunities," she added.

Ines, on the other hand, suggested that the government must provide incentives for businesses to develop research and development units to support innovation in the country, and in turn, create more job opportunities.

All parties involved must work together in order to increase the number of female researchers and promote gender equality in science across the globe.

"What we have now, our lifestyle, is the result of research done before. The regeneration [of science] is important to create innovations for the sake of posterity," Ines said.

She also believes that Indonesia needs to move away from a male-focused perspective, which should be taught to children from a young age.

"We need to empower young girls to make them believe that they are just as capable as boys – we have to break through the glass ceiling," she said.

Another way this could be changed, Fenny added, is through celebrating the accomplishments of what female scientists have achieved, rather than the constant focus on celebrities.

Related Article:

L’Oreal Sorority in Science Awards 10 Scholarships for Future Female Scientists

Malaysian Employers Puzzled by Indonesia's New Rule on Live-In Maids

Jakarta Globe, June 01, 2016

Indonesian maids relaxing on their day off in Victoria Park, Hong Kong in this
 November 2012 file photo. In the wake of President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo's
move to step up protection of Indonesian domestic workers abroad, several
 of the affected countries have been trying to resolve issues of employer
responsibilities and maid's welfare. (JG Photo/Jurnasyanto Sukarno)

Jakarta. In the wake of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's move to step up protection of Indonesian domestic workers abroad, several of the affected countries have been trying to resolve issues of employer responsibilities and maids' welfare.

Last month, Indonesia announced a ruling that will stop women from working as live-in maids in foreign countries, including Malaysia. The new ruling also requires domestic workers abroad to enter into formal contracts with their employers.

"Once the maids become formal workers, their employers will no longer have to take care of their lodgings, security and other things. They have to take care of all their expenses [themselves], and whatever happens to them has nothing to do with their employers," Malaysian Maid Employers Association president Engku Ahmad Fauzi Engku Muhsein, as reported by Malaysian news outlet Bernama on Wednesday (01/06).

He added that if the domestic help sector was formalized, the current high recruitment costs for maids must be lowered.

According to the report, the government has set recruitment costs for Indonesian maids at 7,800 ringgit ($1,800), but agents have been charging employers as high as 12,000 ringgit, with an additional annual levy of 600 ringgit and a medical examination costing 100 ringgit.

Datuk Raja Zulkepley Dahalan, president of the Malaysian National Association of Employment Agencies (Pikap), meanwhile stated that the plan would have social implications and cause more complications between the two countries.

He suggested that the government should consider only allowing 50 to 100 reliable and financially strong agencies to control the hiring process. According to him, these agencies would be able to provide housing and other services for the domestic workers.

"I understand that around 350,000 employment agencies are registered with the government, while there are another 27,000 that are unregistered. These agencies should be responsible for the welfare of the maids as they have the capacity to provide them with the maximum protection," the Pikap president told Bernama.

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng also stated that the plan would affect the Malaysian economy, as it could force many women out of the workforce, or even result in men having to become stay-at-home dads.

"In many households, both parents work so they need live-in maids to help them. So without live-in maids, it will only force the women to leave the workforce and stay home," the minister told the Malaymail Online news outlet last month.

According to Migrant Care data, there were 6,5 million Indonesians working abroad in 2014, with 2,5 million of them employed in Malaysia mainly as maids, construction workers and laborers.

Jokowi Wants Diversity in Next Batch of KPK Leaders

Jakarta Globe, Ezra Sihite, May 25, 2015

President Joko Widodo, center, meets with the nine-member, all-female committee
 to select the next leaders of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).
(Antara Foto/Yudhi Mahatma)

Jakarta. President Joko Widodo said on Monday that he wants the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to be led by people with different expertise and skill sets to expedite the country’s fight against graft and better tackle cases that are getting increasingly sophisticated and complex.

“The selection committee must also consider how to transform the KPK into a respected institution that can develop a modern investigation system,” the president told a nine-member committee tasked with finding suitable candidates for the roles of KPK commissioners.

The term of the current batch of commissioners will end in December and their replacements must be named before then.

Joko last week garnered praise from experts and activists when he announced an all-female selection committee, with  backgrounds ranging from economy, law, human rights and even information technology.

The president appointed economic analyst Destry Damayanti and state administrative legal expert Enny Nurbayaningsih as the committee’s head and deputy head respectively.

Other members of the team include Harkristuti Haskrisnowo, a criminal law and human rights expert; Betty Alisjabana, a technology, information and management analyst; Yenti Garnasih, a money laundering and criminal law expert; noted psychologist Supri Wimbarti; Natalia Subagio, the chairwoman of Transparency International Indonesia; as well as Diani Sadiawati, the director of legal human rights at the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas); and Meuthia Ganie-Rochman, an expert on corruption sociology and social capital.

Experts praised the appointment, describing the members as people with professional integrity and free from political affiliations.

The president said selecting a committee from diverse backgrounds should rersult in equally diverse candidates, allowing the KPK to investigate complex cases.

The upcoming candidates “must also be able to build networks and relationships with other institutions,” he said.

Joko met with all committee members for the first time at the State Palace at 3 p.m. on Monday.

State Secretary Pratikno said aside from explaining what his ideal candidates would be like, the president also told committee members to immediately set up plans and procedures for the screening process.

The committee members said they would encourage more women to apply and possibly become the agency’s first female commissioner.

“We feel a diverse team of KPK leaders will be very good. Diverse in the sense of their competency as well as gender,” selection committee spokeswoman Betti Alisjahbana said after meeting the president.

“We will try to have at least one woman [leading the KPK] although our assessment will be based on the criteria set.”

Previous KPK commissioners have so far all been law enforcers, legal practitioners and auditors.

Betti said the committee would be proactive, approaching a variety of non-profit groups and encourage them to have one of their own people applying for the posts.

“If you know any potential candidate, please persuade them, encourage them and convince them to play a role in the KPK,” she continued.

Chairwoman Destry said the committee would also stage consultation meetings with the KPK to understand what the agency needs most at the moment.

She said the committee would host a series of marathon meetings starting on Tuesday to formulate details of the selection process. “We will move quickly, because we don’t have a lot of time,” she said.

The selection process for five new leaders is estimated to conclude by November, after which the final candidates would have to undergo a House of Representatives vetting process. Inauguration is expected in December, after which the five leaders will serve a four-year term.

Further coverage:

Editorial

Joko Announces All-Female KPK Selection Committee

Jakarta Globe, Ezra Sihite, Novianti Setuningsih & Erwin Sihombing, May 21, 2015

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) headquarters in South Jakarta.
(BeritaSatu Photo)

Jakarta. President Joko Widodo announced nine new members of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) selection committee on Thursday, all of whom are women.

“In the past few weeks I have been working hard to form a selection committee for the anti-graft agency [KPK]. Its members have to be competent and possess integrity; they must possess skills and knowledge in a wide range of areas,” Joko said on Thursday.

The president appointed economic analyst, Destry Damayanti, and state administrative legal expert, Enny Nurbayaningsih, as the committee’s head and deputy head respectively.

Other members of the team include Harkristuti Haskrisnowo, a criminal law and human rights expert; Betty Alisjabana, a technology, information and management analyst; Yenti Garnasih, a money laundering and criminal law expert; noted psychologist Supri Wimbarti; Natalia Subagio, the chairwoman of Transparency International Indonesia; as well as Diani Sadiawati, the director of legal human rights at the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) and Meuthia Ganie-Rochman, an expert on corruption sociology and social capital.

Joko’s decision to form an all-female selection committee has been welcomed by female activists.

“No one can doubt their [professional] backgrounds; we have a psychologist, an anti-corruption expert, legal experts. They are all great women,” said Ani Soetjipto, a University of Indonesia political lecturer.

The new panel is completely different to potential candidates tipped in the media prior to the announcement — all of whom were males and most of whom were former members of the Independent Consultative Team.

The team was formed by Joko earlier this year to advise him on the then-growing conflict between the KPK and the police, which was sparked after National Police chief candidate, Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan, was named as a bribery suspect by the KPK.

State Secretary Pratikno said the president chose the selection committee on his own, from 40 candidates proposed to him.

“He read their profiles. It was a long process, taking place for the past couple of weeks, before he finally decided on those names,” Pratikno said, adding it was only a coincidence that the new selectors happened to all be female.

KPK Deputy Chief Johan Budi applauded the president’s choice, saying not only were the members known for their professional integrity, they were also free from political affiliations.

“I see the selected committee as having no affiliation or relation to any political parties,” Johan said. “There will be a lot of political interests and people who will try to interfere in the selection of KPK leaders.

“Therefore we need a selection committee that is credible, capable and free from political interests.”

Chudry Sitompul, a criminology professor at University of Indonesia, echoed Johan’s remarks.

“I think all the nine names presented by President Jokowi are mostly new people. They are not yet contaminated by particular interests,” he said, referring to the president with his popular nickname.

Hifdzil Amil, a researcher at Gadjah Mada University’s anti-graft study center, said he could not be sure if the president had made the right choice.

“I know several names,” he said, adding the public in general were not familiar with the other names.

Hong Kong's domestic workers 'treated worse than the dogs'

Many of the hundreds of thousands of migrant domestic workers looking for a better life in Hong Kong end up exposed to abuse at the hands of their employers. Zigor Aldama reports with three women's stories.

Deutsche Welle, 8 Mar 2015

Kamsiah (pictured above) was one of the 334,000 foreign domestic workers registered in Hong Kong. She is also one of the many who have suffered abuses at work. At 41, she left her hometown in Indonesia to work her way to a better life. However, she found herself in a nightmare.

"This is the second time I have worked in Hong Kong, and with my previous employers I had no problems," she said. "But this family treated me worse than their five dogs."

Kamsiah said she had to sleep with the animals and was barely fed with a daily bowl of rice with some vegetables. The pets, however, received all kinds of care from five o'clock in the morning.

"I had to get up at that hour to walk them," she said. "Then I would prepare breakfast, clean the house, do laundry, make lunch, do shopping, hang and iron the clothes, cook dinner, and then the lady would ask me to give her massages until the wee hours of the morning."

No money, no passport, no options

All that for a meager HK$3,920 ($500, 466 euros) a month, from which she had to foot the HK$2,543 fee the agency charged her during her first six months on the job.

Without passports or money, there are few places foreign workers
can go to escape abusive employers

"I escaped because they made me sign my paycheck, but refused to give me the money," she said. "I could not take it anymore."

It was almost midnight when Kamsiah took refuge in a McDonald's, one of the few places open 24 hours. "I had no money or documents because the passport was being held by the agency. I desperately waited until another Indonesian appeared," she said. "She told me about an NGO that provides assistance to domestic helpers and I went to them."

But her difficulties had only just begun as she was later arrested by the police. The family that had employed her accused her of stealing a wallet containing HK$7,300. Now, after proving her innocence, Kamsiah has filed a lawsuit for labor exploitation against her former employers.

She's not the only one. Until recently this situation went unnoticed to most Hong Kong citizens, but a particularly violent case has brought it out of the shadows. In January last year, Erwiana Sulistyaningsih showed that Kamsiah's was not an isolated case.

Case reopens debate in Hong Kong

Also an Indonesian, Sulistyaningsih was taken to the airport by her employers and forced to return to her country with just 100,000 Indonesian rupiah (around $8) in her pockets. "Do not even think about saying anything of what has happened in Hong Kong, because we will kill your parents!" they threatened.

With one day off per week, many foreign workers gather to meet in Hong Kong parks

Immigration officials let her leave without asking any questions - despite her broken nose, several missing teeth and bruises all over her body. Upon her arrival, doctors in Indonesia ordered her immediate admission to a hospital where they discovered that she had suffered brain damage due to repeated blows to the head.

On February 10, a Hong Kong court found her employer, Law Wan-tung, guilty of 18 separate charges of abuse, for which she will serve six years in prison. This case reopened the debate on the employment and living conditions faced by foreign domestic workers.

Protection laws go unenforced

"The problem is that the law itself discriminates against migrants working as maids in Hong Kong," said Mabel Au, Amnesty International's China director. "First there is the obligation of living with those who employ them, and, secondly, a rule stipulating that if they do not get a job in the two weeks following the termination of their previous contract they should leave the city. But the worst is that laws theoretically passed to protect these women from abuse are not implemented."

Au said an intricate web of mafia-like organizations profit from those women thanks to a lack of supervision by government authorities.

Grace said she didn't see any options other than signing a work contract

Labor exploitation starts when workers have to sink themselves in debt to pay large amounts of money to agents and continues when they arrive in Hong Kong where, by law, agencies arranging employment for them can only charge 10 percent of the first month's salary as service fee. That's about HK$401.

"In fact, the amount ends up being much higher," Au said. "Most of the girls are scared and have little information about legal formalities. They sign their contracts in a language they don't understand - Chinese and English - and have no idea how the sector works."

Left with nothing but debts

Such practices, Au added, mean the foreign workers are often paid less than the minimum wage and unable to report how they are ripped off by agencies and employers. The workers' passports are also confiscated upon arrival "leaving them vulnerable and fully exposed to abuse."

Grace knows that well. Originally from the Philippines, she signed a labor contract to work in Hong Kong but her employer's family sent her illegally to Dalian, in northeastern China. Without her passport and unable to speak any Chinese, she didn't know what to do, so she signed a work contract. After having worked there for a while, the employers refused to pay her and sent her back to Hong Kong with just 200 RMB ($32, 30 euros) in hand.

She has filed a lawsuit against the family who employed her, but said she's not very optimistic about the outcome. Grace said doesn't think she will be able to pay the 40,000 pesos ($903, 832 euro) in debts she contracted in the Philippines with the employment agency.

Jusuf Kalla: Indonesia to Stop Sending Women Workers Abroad

Jakarta Globe, SP/Novianti Setuningsih, Nov 21, 2014

Vice President Jusuf Kalla talking with citizens concerned over rising fuel
prices, in Jakarta on Wednesday. (Antara Photo/Setwapres/Jeri Wongiyanto)

Jakarta. Indonesia plans to end the practice of sending female workers (TKW) abroad by creating more job opportunities here, Vice President Jusuf Kalla said on Friday.

Speaking at a conference of the women’s organization of Nahdlatul Ulama (Fatayat NU), Kalla said women are mostly forced to seek a better future abroad because of limited opportunities in Indonesia, and that many suffer mental and physical abuse.

“We will end all of this [bad treatment of workers],” the vice president said. “The problems with the TKW [will end], in five years we must [stop sending them] abroad.”

Kalla said that the agriculture sector would be a primary source of future jobs, followed by light industrial work.

The lot of the migrant worker is a major political issue in Indonesia. While remittances sent by construction workers and domestic workers from abroad has had an important impact on raising hundreds of thousands of families out of poverty, migrant workers often fall victim to abuse and in many cases have to surrender their passports to either agents or employers.

Extreme cases such as the recent murders of two Indonesian women in Hong Kong, allegedly at the hands of a British banker, occasionally make international headlines, but the domestic press is never short on stories of abuse.

Advocacy group Migrant Care estimates that every day between 400 to 500 Indonesian migrant workers are extorted by security and immigration officers on their return to Indonesia.

The group has recorded more than 1,000 extortion cases over the last ten years, which are said to involve police and military officials as well as from other government agencies.

“Everyday, 400 to 500 TKI [Indonesian migrant workers] are extorted,” Migrant Care chairwoman Anis Hidayah said in August. The figure, she said, represented 45 percent of Indonesian migrant workers returning home everyday. The extortion scheme “is systematic,” Anis continued.

The culprits, Anis alleged, are from the military, police, the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry and the Indonesian Workers Placement and Protection Agency (BNP2TKI).

Earlier this month, the newly inaugurated minister of manpower and transmigration, Hanif Dhakiri, pledged to audit all migrant worker placement agencies in a bid to crack down on widespread extortion.

Related Article:

Indonesia a Hive of Modern-Day Slavery

Minister Promises Better Days Ahead for Indonesian Migrant Workers

Jakarta Globe, Nov 08, 2014

Indonesian migrant workers wait to exit a Saudi ship at Tanjung Priok Port, in
Jakarta. (JG Photo/Udhi Sukma Wijaya)

Jakarta. The newly inaugurated Minister of Manpower and Transmigration, Hanif Dhakiri, pledged on Saturday to audit all migrant worker placement agencies in a bid to crack down on widespread extortion of some of the country’s most vulnerable people.

“I will not tolerate anyone playing dirty, be it the agencies or the staff in my ministry,” Hanif told Indonesian news portal Tempo.co on Saturday.

The sector is nominally regulated but criminal gangs have long established  that the placing of poorer members of society in countries such Dubai and Saudi Arabia makes for good business. Migrant workers frequently fall victim to extortion at the hands of these agents.

“Hopeful migrant workers are asked to deposit guarantee money and told they would receive training but what happens next is they don’t get the training and the agents run away with their money,” Hanif told Tempo.

The lot of the migrant worker is a major political issue in Indonesia. While remittances sent by construction workers and domestic workers from abroad has had an important impact on raising hundreds of thousands of families out of poverty, migrant workers are often victim to mental and physical abuse and in many cases have to surrender their passports to either agents or employers.

Extreme cases such as the recent murders of two women in Hong Kong, allegedly at the hands of a British banker, occasionally make international headlines, but the domestic press is never short on stories of abuse perpetrated by agents, employers — even the governments of workers’ destination countries.

There are around 45 Indonesian domestic workers on death row in Saudi Arabia, while 375 Indonesians workers were facing the death penalty worldwide in 2012, according to data from Migrant Care, a Jakarta-based advocacy group set up by labor activists.

While migrant workers are frequently extorted when they are first recruited — the villages of West Java being particularly fertile ground for placement agents — the return journey home has historically been an opportunity for members of the military, police and airport authorities to take a cut of workers’ wages.

The KPK and the National Police conducted a joint raid on July 25 at Soekarno Hatta International Airport in Jakarta and arrested 18 people — including a soldier and two members of the National Police.

The men were running a decade-long racket at the airport where returning workers would be forced to pay up to 10 times the market rate for a taxi to their chosen destination. A foreign exchange scam would also relieve the workers of large sums of money. One worker testified that she had been forced to pay $250 for a taxi.

The vast scale of the extortion racket is instructive of a systemic lack of protection.

Migrant Care director Anis Hidayah said earlier this year that 400-500 migrant workers were extorted when they returned home, describing the scam as “systemic” and estimating that the figure represented 45 percent of the total number of workers re-entering Indonesia.

In addition to addressing the entrenched exploitation of workers, Hanif also plans to improve the facilities where migrant workers are housed before they leave the country.

“The fact is; they look more like detention centers,” Hanif told Tempo.co.

“I have seen some migrant workers stay in these shelters for eight months,” he added.

Hanif pledged to ensure that all Indonesian migrant workers receive proper protection from when they are recruited to when they return home.

Ministry data show there are 520 registered placement agencies in the country.

“We will conduct an audit for all these agencies,” Hanif said.

Plight of Domestic Workers in Indonesia Is Seen as Mirroring Slavery

Jakarta Globe, Vita A.D. Busyra,February 25, 2014

A domestic worker being identified for work at an employment
center in Cipete, Jakarta. (JG Photo/Safir Makki)

Jakarta. The allegation that a retired police general and his wife held 16 domestic workers in captivity and tortured them in their Bogor, West Java, mansion, is a form of modern-day slavery that is only one of countless such incidents occurring behind the high walls of luxury homes in Indonesia.

Anis Hidayah, executive director of Jakarta-based Migrant Care, told the Jakarta Globe on Monday that such practices are physically concealed but occur all around us, stripping those silent victims of their most basic of human rights: freedom.

“Many of us are still trapped in the feudalistic mentality, always wanting to be served,” she said, comparing the situation to the early years of the American colonies, when Europeans desperate to cross the ocean ended up signing contracts of debt bondage or indentured servitude.

“Although indentured servants are needed to work only for a limited period, as stated in the signed contract, many were exploited as low-cost laborers and severely maltreated. Ironically, such cases occur in Indonesia today,” she said.

Mutiara Situmorang and her husband, retired police general Mangisi Situmorang, were reported to the police after one of their 16 domestic workers — half of whom were under the legal working age of 17 — fled the mansion last week, claiming she had suffered from physical abuse.

The 17-year-old, Yuliana Lewer, said she was forced to work more than 12 hours a day, and Mutiara would beat her if she made any mistake.

Anis said this case was not unique as many domestic workers in the country have similar experiences.

Similar cases

In June last year, 18-year-old Siti Nur Amalah, a housemaid working in Jatinegara, East Jakarta, went to the police after her employers, husband and wife couple Usman and Dina, had been beating her since 2012, resulting in permanent blindness. Usman had also frequently sexually abused the teenager.

“I was often told to strip naked, and he then touched my private parts,” she told MetroTVnews.com.

Police said they were still investigating the matter.

In October, the Supreme Court handed down a longer jail term to Lidya Natalia and her mother Tan Fang May for torturing their maid, Marlena, 16.

“She was chained like a dog, and beaten and soaked in the bathtub,” a judge told Detik.com.

Also in October that year, the same court punished Sri Sunarti, 29, and Yudaka, 63, for torturing their 17-year-old housemaid, Kaminah, since 2008.

Semarang-based Perisai, a child labor advocacy group, said they received reports from 30 house workers in 2012 alone who were victims of abuse at the hands of their employers.

“They have been raped, beaten and scolded almost every day of their employment,” the group said in a statement.

Anis said based on data from Walk Free Foundation’s inaugural Global Slavery Index 2013, “some 29.8 million [people] are still forced to live in slavery around the world, with some 21 million slaves in Asia, including Indonesia.”

Data from the National Network for Domestic Workers Advocacy (Jala PRT) stated 1,273 abuse cases [of domestic workers] were reported from 2011 to 2012 nationwide. In 2013, they received 650 reports of maid abuse.

Jala PRT estimates more than 10 million people currently work as maids in Indonesia.

Human trafficking

Alvon Kurnia Palma, chairman of the Foundation of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI) feared these cases might indicate human trafficking, though further investigation was still needed.

“These cases of abuse not only involve torture, but also forced captivity and perhaps even human trafficking. In the latter, young domestic workers are recruited, transported, delivered and finally cheated out of their wages and freedom,” he said on Monday.

In the Bogor case for instance, Alvon questioned how Mutiara was able to recruit so many girls, and more importantly, who supplied them.

“We need to find out whether these workers were taken from a broker or formal agency. And if a broker was involved, we need to find out whether he or she had the legal authority to do so.”

Alvon doubted the recruiting agency was legal.

“If they have a [proper] license, why did they recruit children of under the age of 18?” he asked.

Alvon demanded the police to investigate every lead, every person who was involved, up to the recruiting agency to prevent similar cases in future.

“No one is exempt from the law, whoever the abuser may be — even the wife of a well-known general, for example, will not be given legal leeway,” he said.

Sri Nurherwati, a commissioner at the National Commission on Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan), condemned Mutiara for mistreating her domestic workers and holding them hostage. Sri also urged the police to punish the guilty accordingly, so they may never commit the same atrocities again.

Weak protection

Sri said no form of legal protection exists for household workers in Indonesia.

Any law that applies to them are weak at best, making them dependent on the “kindness” of their employers — a situation similar to slavery.

“Many of these housemaids live with their employers. They are placed in a ‘lower’ position and feel they cannot speak up for their rights,” she explained. “They are dependent on their employer. So, we must establish a legal means to protect them.”

She lamented the continued 10-year delay in the deliberations of the domestic worker protection bill in the House of Representatives. The bill, she said, would cater to the main interests of Indonesia’s domestic workers by touching on issues including minimum wage and working hours, with clear punishments outlined for employers who violate the regulations.

“We [Komnas Perempuan] have urged the House many times to discuss and then pass the bill. But the lawmakers somehow believe cases tortured maids can be resolved through existing laws,” Sri said.

However, the increasing number of abuse cases against domestic workers proves current laws fail to protect them.

“Maids, who fall into informal sectors, will still be vulnerable to mistreatment. If we do not have a form of legal protection emphasizing domestic workers as being part of the wheel of economic development, how can we consider a housewife’s job as honorable?” she said.

Anis Hidayah added that household maids work within the obstructing walls of a home; no one would bear witness to any form of abuse, and the government would not be able to intervene unless the victim voluntarily approached the police.

“There is no reason for holding back the draft bill as this [abuse] truly degrades human kind,” she said.

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