VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOInews, Jakarta – Indonesian Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Sakti Wahyu Trenggono, and Minister of Migrant Worker Protection (P2MI), Abdul Kadir Karding, are preparing a comprehensive protection scheme for Indonesian crew members (ABK) working aboard foreign fishing vessels. The initiative aims to enhance the safety and well-being of ABK working overseas.

The scheme includes several key aspects: improving ABK skills through the Ministry of Marine Affairs' training centers, mapping out countries that employ Indonesian ABK, and synchronizing ABK data between the two ministries. The goal is to ensure that Indonesian ABK are well-prepared and protected from potential exploitation or abuse while working abroad.

“We are ready to train and prepare future ABK for professional work overseas through the training centers we operate,” Minister Trenggono stated after a meeting at the Ministry’s office in Jakarta on November 26, 2024. He emphasized the importance of these training facilities, which are located in Medan, Ambon, Tegal, Bitung, and Sukamandi, as centers for developing the skills of ABK candidates.

In addition to their maritime and fishing industry expertise, ABK candidates will also receive language training tailored to the countries they will work in. Trenggono believes this will help enhance the competitiveness of Indonesian ABK in the global workforce and reduce the risk of violence and exploitation, which have been reported among Indonesian ABK abroad.

“We often face issues where Indonesian ABK are involved in problems abroad, but we don’t have clear data on their skills or how they were recruited. By improving coordination and skills, we can reduce these issues,” Trenggono explained. He also mentioned that the collaboration with the P2MI will provide more career opportunities for graduates of KKP’s advocacy education programs.

Minister Karding expressed his appreciation for the KKP’s proactive efforts to protect Indonesian ABK. He highlighted that the joint efforts will include setting up a task force, synchronizing data on ABK, and mapping potential countries that require skilled ABK workers, such as Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.

The collaboration between KKP and P2MI also aims to curb the illegal recruitment of ABK, which often leads to unregulated and unsafe conditions. “Unregulated recruitment is risky and often leads to problems, such as crew members being abandoned at sea. This is the issue we aim to resolve by ensuring all ABK are properly registered and protected,” said Karding.

The meeting was attended by the Deputy Ministers from both ministries: Didit Herdiawan Ashaf from the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, and Christina Aryani and Dzulfikar Ahmad Tawalla from the Ministry of Migrant Worker Protection.

Source: kkp.go.id.