INFEST held a knowledge management training on labour migration in Ponorogo Districtfrom 8-9 March 2023 and in Blitar District from 15-16 March 2023. The training forum was attended by Indonesian Migrant Workers Community (KOPI) activists and village administrations from five villages in Ponorogo and five villages in Blitar. From the results of the program’s annual reflection in December 2022, the theme of governance surrounding labour migration was emphasised.
The training was held for two days. On the first day, the participants learned about migration and development. On the second day, participants discussed in more detail the operationalisation of migration and development at the village level in reference to Law 18/2017 concerning the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers ( PPMI Law). Additionally, Law 6/2014 concerning Villages ( Desa Law) was also discussed.
In Ponorogo, the training session involved the villages of Ngendut, Karangpatihan, Gelanglor, Bringinan, and Pondok. Sofwan Hadi was a keynote speaker who explained the typology of migration in Indonesia, the driving factors of migration, and the impact of migration on development. At the end of the session, the participants discussed the impact of migration on their villages. The impact of migration was seen from several aspects such as economic, social, and cultural, both positive and negative.
In the second session, Sofwan Hadi explained the relationship between migration and several important issues such as gender and migration, data-based development, and human trafficking. This session invited participants to understand the phenomenon of feminisation of migration whereby the number of migrant women continues to increase. Including the risks that women often experience include violence in both before, during, and after migration. Regarding data-based development, he also invited KOPI activists and village governments to understand more about the importance of data as a reference for development planning. One of the examples being carried out in the assisted villages is collecting data on potential assets within the village, local welfare censuses, and migration data collection.
On the second day, Muhammad Khayat explained the history of migration regulation in Indonesia through policy products. Khayat also invited the participants to understand the important principles in the PPMI Law. In relation to village development, the presentation in this session was also linked to village authority as regulated in the Village Law.
In the context of migration management, as stated by Khayat, the PPMI Law has distributed authority from the centre to the villages. The PPMI Law also cut the role of the private sector in managing migration. For this reason, it is important for villages to participate in realising safe, orderly, and regular migration. At the end of the session, participants discussed the division of roles in migration governance in districts and villages. This includes assessing the services provided by the village in relation to migration services, protection, and empowerment for prospective migrant workers and families of migrant workers.
In Blitar, the training also involved KOPI activists and village governments from five villages, namely Sumberagung, Lorejo, Pandanarum, Jatinom, and Gogodeso Villages. This training was held at the Islam Nusantara Hall, Blitar. The training content in Blitar was similar to the training in Ponorogo. The difference was the dynamics and findings in the field that the villagers faced regarding the impacts of labour migration, both positive and negative. Labour migration knowledge training in Blitar was facilitated by Muhammad Khayat and Ridwan Wahyudi.
This training aimed to increase the capacity of KOPI activists and village governments in program areas regarding the scope of migration and labour migration. Additionally, INFEST focused on increasing policy advocacy capacity and the understanding village authorities held regarding migration. This was achieved through delivering a thorough understanding of safe, orderly, and regular migration. Participants left with a greater understanding of the relationship between migration and development and how they influence each other.
