JAKARTA, Indonesia – “We have a clear message: Listen to us.”
These were the words of Indonesian Eni Lestari who worked as a domestic helper in Hong Kong for 16 years. On Monday, September 19, she faced the United Nations General assembly in New York, to plead governments to protect migrant workers.
In a heartfelt speech at the United Nations Summit on Refugees and Migrants, which had heads of state of UN member countries in attendance, Lestari urged leaders to include migrants in the conversation about securing their rights. (READ: Indonesian caregiver posts video of rape by Taiwanese employer)
“Don’t talk about us without us. You want us to remit? But what we need is for you to commit to justice, to a development that does not tear our families apart, to a future that relies on the strength of its own people and not on the continued export and exploitation of our labor,” she said.
She said migrants “have been denied the future, the rights and the dreams we used to imagine.”
Lestari narrated how she dreamt of escaping poverty, completing higher education, and helping her family. But the reality of being a migrant she said, was a “nightmare.”
“We wake up every day facing a reality of deepening poverty, unemployment, lack of chances for education, eroding social services and loss of land. Like many others, I didn’t have a choice but to work abroad as a migrant domestic worker so that i can put food on our table, pay off the debt of our parents, and bring my siblings to school,” she said.
“However, for the majority of us, the promise of a better future is a lie… our dream has become a nightmare.”
‘Work with us’
The high-level UN summit aims to address large movements of refugees and migrants, and to find a more humane and coordinated approach for member countries to back.
In June, the UN said the number of refugees and others fleeing their homes worldwide has hit a new record, spiking to 65.3 million people by the end of 2015 – the highest since World War II.
Aside from migrant workers like Lestari, Europe’s high-profile migrant crisis contributes to the numbers. It includes a growing tide of human misery led by Palestinians, Syrians and Afghans who have been forced to flee due to conflict.
Migrants and refugees often do not enjoy equals rights in countries they move to. Indonesian governement data show 6.1 million Indonesians work overseas.
Migrants around the world watched Eni Lestari address the UN Summit on Refugees & Migrants in NY.#MigrantSpeakUN pic.twitter.com/VEznFylASl
— Eman Villanueva (@emancv) September 19, 2016
Lestari, who was abused by her Hong Kong employer, said migrants remain vulnerable to human trafficking, slavery, abuses, and even death. She blamed a system that only cares about profit and not about the rights and dignity of migrants.
“Our future is bleak. We expect protection and services but we are left alone to deal with our sufferings,” she said.
She also slammed current migration policies that she said “reinforced our invisibility.”
“No matter how hard we work, we are never recognized as humans with dignity or equality. We wish to be seen and heard, not marginalized and excluded. We deserve respect to our humanity,” she added.
Lestari called for “real and actionable” international conventions, which she said should not create exploitation, displacement, forced migration, conflict, and poverty.
“Let’s work for a world without vulnerability, insecurity and invisibility. As people, as workers, as women, as migrants – we are ready to make this happen. Work with us,” she said. – Rappler.com
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