Domestic Work in Turkey is Illegal, Says Indonesian Envoy

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Indonesian Ambassador to Turkey Lalu Muhammad Iqbal urged Indonesians to not easily accept a job offer as a domestic worker in Turkey.

Lalu said the domestic work in Turkey is illegal and has the potential of human trafficking.

"Almost everyone who accepts the job as a domestic helper in Turkey is illegal," said Lalu on Monday, April 5.

Lalu explained there are two reasons why working as a housemaid in Turkey is illegal. First, Turkey does not accept foreigners as housemaids. The second reason, he added, the Turkish family need no helpers in their households. 

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He reiterated that Indonesians should not easily accept such job offers. "Based on the two reasons, never accept the offer to become a domestic helper in Turkey," he said.

He also revealed that Indonesians have become victims of human trafficking in Turkey. 

According to him, from January to April 2021, 19 cases of human trafficking involved Indonesian citizens. Last year, 20 cases of human trafficking were also reported. 

"It's almost the same as the number of cases last year," he said.

Lalu went on to say that out of the 19 cases of human trafficking, not a single case involved Turkish citizens. The perpetrators were the people who came from the conflict countries near Turkey and lived in Turkey.

(Writer: Sania Mashabi | Editor: Diamanty Meiliana)

Source: https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2021/04/05/18514631/masyarakat-indonesia-diimbau-tolak-tawaran-pekerjaan-jadi-art-di-turki