The national news agency Antara on March 2 quoted Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno LP Marsudi as saying that the country has always supported the protection of migrant workers in the ASEAN region.
In the recent ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM) in Vientiane, Laos, the minister underscored that governments need to focus on social welfare and protection of those workers.
As thousands of Indonesians are working in neighboring countries, the country hopes ASEAN member states would reach an agreement for the establishment of a legal corridor that guarantees the rights of migrant workers. There should be a preliminary agreement to formulate such legal documents.
According to a joint research conducted by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the ASEAN Community is expected to create 14 million jobs by 2025.
