Jakarta, civil society in uproar over 34 "slave" workers
Jakarta (AsiaNews) - A veritable wave of indignation is sweeping through Indonesian civil society, deeply concerned by the story of the 34 workers from West Java forced to work in complete slavery. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has called on all parties to take immediate action and asked people to denounce similar situations. "Things like this are intolerable," added the head of state, at the same time inviting the Labour Minister to "take serious action". However, in spite of slogans and statements of principle the problems of ensuring an economic growth that respects the rights of the individual and the workers remain.
For
years, in Indonesia the word "slavery" has been regarded with
contempt as a legacy of barbaric practices of the colonial past. The
discovery, which took place last week, of a "lager" in Sepatan -
Tangerang regency, about 20 km from Jakarta - where 34 young people were
detained and forced to work in terrible conditions has raised the issue and
huge controversy.
The
police found them in a factory for recycling of waste materials, in precarious
sanitary conditions in a large room with no windows, dirty, undocumented and with
their few personal possessions confiscated (above) by the owner. To
make matters worse, some "deviant" officers of the Tangerang Police protected
the boss "in secret and at length", helping him to keep the shocking
story hidden.
The
workers (all natives of Cianjur, West Java province) spent more than four
months without anyone to look after them, until two young men - Andi Gunawan
and Junaidi, both 22 year olds - were able to escape, making the drama public. They
denounced the situation to the National Commission for Human Rights (Komnas
HAM) and the Agency for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras). They
described living in a room of 6 feet by 8, with only one bathroom. They
had to work at least 18 hours a day, having only two miserable meals and little
to drink.
The
Indonesian Chamber of Commerce, through its spokesman, stated that it does not
admit practices of slavery, forced labor or exploitation. The
government has promised prompt intervention and the police have already arrested
five people accused in various ways of having held the young workers in
inhumane conditions. Two other people are
still on the run. But
so far this has not been enough to appease the wrath and indignation of public
opinion, angry and worried by recent events in business development on the
Asian continent, already marked by the dramatic story of the 800 workers who
died in the collapse of the tower
housing slave labor factories in Bangladesh .
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