Social #4 - IT skills for South Asian migrant workers

Sep 15, 2006

Centres here, in Batam and Philippines part of a Microsoft drive to combat human trafficking

By Arlina Arshad

INDONESIAN migrant workers, including those travelling to and from Singapore, can now stop over in Batam to attend computer lessons for a nominal fee.

A centre to teach them IT skills - including word processing and spreadsheets - was launched yesterday in Batam.

It is the result of a tie-up between Microsoft and Yayasan Mitra Kesehatan dan Kemanusiaan (YMKK), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) there.

A similar centre will be opened in Singapore next Sunday, and another was launched in the Philippines last Sunday.

The centres are part of a $1-million drive by Microsoft to combat South Asia's human trafficking problem. Singapore was one of six countries chosen because it is seen as a 'transit point' for migrant workers, said Ms Lori Forman, Microsoft Asia's regional director of community affairs. The remaining countries are India, Cambodia and Thailand.

The IT giant will give Singapore NGO Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (Home) $79,900 in cash and software over three years to help migrant workers, regardless of their sex or nationality.

But they must be at risk of being abused or trafficked.

Yesterday, Riau police chief Brigadier-General Sutarman said 17 Indonesian women who were referred to the courts this year had been trafficked to Malaysia and Singapore.

Six cases involved women who were promised work as maids and waitresses in Singapore, but instead were duped into becoming prostitutes.

Since 2004, one-third of the 43 badly treated Indonesian migrant workers YMKK has sent back home had worked in Singapore.

'Some were maids who complained about long working hours and their salaries not being paid,' said YMKK counsellor Flora Loupatty.

At the new Batam centre - which is equipped with 10 computers - Indonesian Merah Sari, 20, was learning how to use the Microsoft Word program yesterday.

The maid's agent in Malaysia allegedly kept her two years' salary of RM5,775 (S$2,480) her employer had passed to him.

She is now waiting for the Malaysian courts to settle the case.

She said: 'With these IT skills, perhaps I can work at an office, instead of being a maid.'

arlina@sph.com.sg

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