The sound of angklung music filled the Islamic Centre Complex in East Lampung Regency, Lampung Province, marking the launch of integrated services for the protection of Indonesian migrant workers through the integration of the Migrant Worker Resource Centre (MRC) into the Public Service Mall. The initiative represents a strategic step by the East Lampung Regency Government to make protection services for Indonesian migrant workers more accessible, integrated, and closer to their communities.
East Lampung is one of the largest areas of origin for Indonesian migrant workers in Lampung Province, with an average of 5,000-7,000 workers placed abroad each year. Of these workers, 72 per cent are women employed in the domestic work sector. Lampung Province, meanwhile, ranks fifth nationally among Indonesia's largest areas of origin for migrant workers.
Launched on 24 September 2026 with ILO support through the European Union (EU)-funded project, Ensuring Decent Work and Reducing Vulnerabilities for Women and Children in the Context of Labour Migration in South-East Asia (PROTECT), the service is the first initiative in Indonesia to integrate an MRC into a Public Service Mall. The integrated service brings together government agencies, civil society organizations, migrant worker unions and development partners.
With the MRC integrated into the Public Service Mall, people in East Lampung can now access a range of services in one place, including information on overseas employment opportunities, consultations and pre-departure preparation, documentation services, safe migration education, assistance and complaint mechanisms, as well as information on protection for migrant workers and their families.
Commitment to bringing services closer to migrant workers
East Lampung Regent Ela Siti Nuryamah emphasized that integrating the MRC into the Public Service Mall demonstrates the local government's commitment to strengthening protection for East Lampung residents who are working or planning to work abroad. The MRC is expected to serve as a hub for information, education, and assistance for the community.
"Local governments can no longer turn a blind eye to the various risks faced by Indonesian migrant workers, including inaccurate information about jobs, non-procedural recruitment and challenges related to legal protection in countries of destination," said Regent Ela. "The MRC is therefore expected to serve as a centre for information and education, while providing assistance and consultation services that further strengthen protection for prospective migrant workers, current and returning migrant workers, and their families."
She also emphasized that, to strengthen coordination among government agencies, trade unions and civil society, the service is supported by Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) governing service delivery, coordination, complaint handling and referral mechanisms. This is intended to ensure that services are integrated, accessible, inclusive and gender-responsive, including at the village level.
Indonesia's Vice Minister for the Protection of Migrant Workers, Dzulfikar Ahmad Tawalla, welcomed the East Lampung Regency Government's initiative to establish the MRC within the Public Service Mall. He stressed that the protection of Indonesian migrant workers must be translated into concrete and measurable actions.
"The presence of the state must be felt from the moment people prepare to work abroad until they return home. Protecting one migrant worker means saving one family. And saving one family in Indonesia means keeping the flame of Indonesia's future alive," said Dzulfikar.
Paving the way for integrated services in other regions
Yunita Rohani, a representative of the Indonesian Migrant Workers Union (SBMI), also welcomed the establishment of the integrated MRC service in East Lampung. With services becoming more accessible and closer to communities, she expressed hope that the MRC would become the first point of contact for prospective migrant workers seeking information, as well as a safe space for migrant workers facing difficulties.
"This service is expected to become the first point of access to accurate information, enabling migrant workers to migrate through regular channels, acquire the appropriate skills and understand their rights and responsibilities from the time they leave their communities until they return to Indonesia," she said.
Meanwhile, Diego Rei, ILO Employment and Labour Market Specialist, said the initiative reflects the local government's commitment to three key principles: protection, coordination and efficiency. "The ILO welcomes this initiative, which not only further strengthens the governance of migrant worker protection, but also promotes better coordination among institutions, supports the application of international labour standards and makes services more accessible in terms of both time and cost. This initiative can serve as a good practice that could be replicated in other regions," he said.
The initiative is supported by the ILO through its Ensuring Decent Work and Reducing Vulnerabilities for Women and Children in the Context of Labour Migration in Southeast Asia (PROTECT) project. Funded by the EU, led by the ILO and implemented with UN Women, UNICEF and UNODC, the project supports reforms to labour migration governance, strengthens recruitment regulation and promotes gender-responsive and rights-based approaches to labour migration across Southeast Asia.
